‘Many told me, you won’t play for Australia’ – Usman Khawaja recalls facing racism in early days

Cricket Australia is known to follow the ‘sports for all’ approach and the same has earned him praises from different parts. Not too long ago, the cricket body threatened to cancel a history Test match against Afghanistan if women’s cricket is not encouraged in the latter team’s nation. However, veteran Australian batter Usman Khawaja revealed a story that shows there’s a different side of the coin as well.

The southpaw, who was born in Pakistan, has played 44 Tests, 40 ODIs and 9 T20Is for Australia. While Khawaja has a substantial record at the highest level, his journey was all about hardships. The 34-year-old revealed that he faced a lot of hurdles due to his race. Khawaja also said he once wanted to become ‘white’ to pursue a cricket career down under.

Multiculturalism needs to be promoted in Australian cricket: Usman Khawaja

“One of the big things is people around the game, coaches, staff at CA. They’ve been really good at bringing forward gender equality, but I think the same thing needs to be done for multiculturalism. That goes all the way up to the top, to the board,” Khawaja tells The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.

“Is there someone who’s reflecting the general population of Australia, or is it just older cricketers who are predominantly white, Anglo-Saxon players? That’s just the crux of it, that’s what it’s been. Cricket’s a very white sport and has been for a long time in Australia. So unless things start changing from the top, it’s very hard to funnel that down, because that’s where all the decisions are made,” he added.

When Khawaja received his maiden Test cap in 2011, he became the first Muslim and the first player of Pakistani descent to represent Australia. While many thought Khawaja’s entrance is a breakthrough moment and many South Asian cricketers in Australia would have also wanted to play at the highest level. However, the reality is Khawaja remains the only player of his race to play Test cricket for Australia in the last decade.

Recalling the experience of his early days, Khawaja revealed many didn’t back him to play at the highest level. “I’ve said numerous times that people told me ‘you’re not going to make it, you’re not going to play for Australia, it’s a white man’s game, they won’t select you’. There could have been plenty of times where I thought ‘nah this is too hard, it’s not going to happen, I’m not getting opportunities,’ but fortunately I’m very stubborn,” he recalled.