'They’ll support me, but will also be hoping we get smashed' - Usman Khawaja ahead of Australia's Pakistan tour

Australian prolific batter Usman Khawaja is hoping for a lively reception when he tours Pakistan to play a three-match Test series. It is to be noted that Australia will be making their first tour of Pakistan since 1998. Khawaja has strongly advocated for the tour to go ahead and credited Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) for making the tour happen.

Pat Cummins-led Australia have boarded the flight for Pakistan. Notably, none of the Aussie players touring Pakistan have ever played any international cricket in the country. As a result, the role of Khawaja, who is known to play spin well, becomes more important for making the tour successful for the visitors.

Born in Pakistan, Usman Khawaja moved to Australia at the age of five

Born in Pakistan’s Islamabad, Khawaja moved from his birth country to Australia at the age of five. The now 35-year old believes that the support there has always been great, however, he anticipates that the fans would want Australia to lose despite their support

“We’ve always had great support from Pakistan. I’m not sure how many of them will be turning up, to be honest; I’m sure we’ll get some ticket requests closer to the date. But from all over the sub-continent, I’ve always had great support,” Khawaja was quoted by The Guardian.

“Even from the sub-continental Australians living over here. I don’t think it will be too different. I think they’ll support me, but they’ll also be hoping that we get absolutely smashed,” he added.

Khawaja has represented Australia in 46 Test matches in which he has scored a total of 3,142 runs at an average of 42.46. The left-handed batter also has a moderate strike rate of 50.9 in the longest format of the game. Khawaja has already scored ten centuries and 14 fifties for his country in the format. The batter also has a highest score of 174 runs against New Zealand at The Gabba.