1. Usman Tariq Khawaja is an Australian international cricketer who represents the Australia national cricket team in Test cricket and Queensland.
60 Facts About Usman Khawaja
1. 2.
Usman Khawaja has played county cricket in the United Kingdom and briefly played in both the Indian Premier League and Pakistan Super League Twenty20 tournaments.
3.
Usman Khawaja's family emigrated to New South Wales when he was four.
4.
Usman Khawaja is a qualified commercial and instrument-rated pilot, completing a bachelor's degree in aviation from the University of New South Wales before he made his Test debut.
5.
Usman Khawaja attained his basic pilot licence before his driving licence.
6.
Usman Khawaja announced his engagement on 14 December 2016 on his Facebook page.
7.
Rachel Usman Khawaja converted to Islam prior to their wedding.
8.
In December 2023, during a training session for Australia's first test match of the series against Pakistan, Usman Khawaja wore shoes on which the words "All lives are equal" and "freedom is a human right" were written in the colours of the Palestinian flag.
9.
Usman Khawaja stated that he "respect[s] the ICC and the rules and regulations" and will request the ICC apply "consistency in how they officiate".
10.
Usman Khawaja made his first-class debut for the New South Wales Blues in 2008.
11.
On 22 June 2010 it was announced by Cricket Australia that Usman Khawaja would be a part of the Australian touring squad to play Pakistan in a two Test series in England.
12.
From 2011 to February 2022, Usman Khawaja played for the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League.
13.
Usman Khawaja signed a contract to play for county side Derbyshire in the 2011 English domestic season.
14.
Usman Khawaja played in four County Championship matches, averaging 39.87 with the bat and scoring a century against Kent.
15.
Usman Khawaja was dropped from Australia's Test team after the home series against New Zealand, making way for Shaun Marsh upon Marsh's return from injury.
16.
Usman Khawaja scored 86 runs on his debut against Durham but in vain as Lancashire lost by 27 runs.
17.
Usman Khawaja plays club cricket for Valley District Cricket Club in Brisbane.
18.
In February 2022, Usman Khawaja opted out of his contract with the Sydney Thunder, citing "family reasons".
19.
Usman Khawaja was selected in the Australian cricket team to play in the fifth Test against England in Sydney on 3 January 2011.
20.
Usman Khawaja batted at 3 and made 37 and 21 in a heavy innings defeat,.
21.
On 3 January 2011, Usman Khawaja became the 419th Australian to be presented with an Australian Cricket Test baggy green cap.
22.
Usman Khawaja became the first Muslim and first Pakistani-born Australian player to play Test cricket for Australia, and only the seventh foreign-born cricketer to do so in the last 80 years.
23.
Usman Khawaja made his Test return in the second Test of the 2013 Ashes series, replacing Ed Cowan.
24.
Usman Khawaja made this return in his tenth Test in the coveted number 3 position, helping Australia to an emphatic victory.
25.
Usman Khawaja made his Twenty20 International debut for Australia against India on 31 January 2016.
26.
Additionally, Usman Khawaja set a record for becoming the first ever batsman to score a Test century in an innings of a Day-Night Test match on home soil and still has the record for the second highest individual score in a Day-Night Test innings.
27.
Usman Khawaja played his first Test match against the country of his birth, Pakistan, on 15 December 2016 at the Gabba.
28.
In January 2017, Usman Khawaja dabbed in celebration of his half-century scored in a Test match against Pakistan in Sydney.
29.
Usman Khawaja's move received mixed reactions, with some praising it, while others accused him of disrespecting his opponents.
30.
Usman Khawaja played a match saving innings against Pakistan in the first Test in 2018 at Dubai, where he played a fluent innings of 141 under immense pressure especially in the fourth innings opening the batting while chasing a mammoth total of 462 runs and for his efforts, he received player of the match award.
31.
Usman Khawaja showed his glimpses of using proper technique and shot selection to counter the spin attack in the test match in Dubai in 2018 which turned out to be a turning point in his career and he buried the past nightmares of being a weak batsman against spin with a prolific batting effort by revamping his approach in both innings to save the test match for Australia from a brink of huge defeat.
32.
Therefore, for the fourth Ashes Test, Steve Smith replaced Usman Khawaja after returning from concussion, while Marnus Labuschagne retained his place in the side.
33.
On 16 July 2020, Usman Khawaja was named in a 26-man preliminary squad of players to begin training ahead of a possible tour to England following the COVID-19 pandemic.
34.
Usman Khawaja was not included in the final squad for the tour.
35.
In January 2022, Usman Khawaja made a comeback to international cricket after a long hiatus, in the 4th Ashes Test at SCG; and made twin centuries in the match, posting scores of 137 and 101* respectively.
36.
Usman Khawaja was then selected for the Australian tour of Pakistan.
37.
Usman Khawaja was the highest run scorer in the series scoring 496 runs at an average of 165.33, a performance which earned him player of the series.
38.
Usman Khawaja scored 97 runs in the first innings of the first test.
39.
Usman Khawaja then scored 160 runs in the first innings of the second test and 44* in the second innings.
40.
Usman Khawaja capped off his return to international cricket by picking up the Shane Warne Test Player of the Year at the Allan Border Medal ceremony, ahead of Travis Head and Steve Smith.
41.
Usman Khawaja was awarded the Community Impact Award at the same event.
42.
Usman Khawaja made a statement in the first test at Edgbaston by scoring his first test century on English soil during Australia's first innings, finally dismissed for 141 off 321 deliveries after being set up by a bamboozling yorker delivery from Ollie Robinson as the latter eventually gave him an aggressive sendoff indicating Usman Khawaja being the main resistance for England's possible opportunity of winning the first test.
43.
Usman Khawaja was triggered by interesting field placement strategy deployed by England captain Ben Stokes which made him to throw his wicket away possibly at a critical juncture of the match.
44.
Usman Khawaja again made runs in the second innings which was critically important in the context of the match where Australia were set a challenging target of 282.
45.
Usman Khawaja set a new milestone for becoming only the second Australian batsman ever in test history to bat in all five days and became only the thirteenth man overall to bat on each day of a five-day test match.
46.
Usman Khawaja further lashed out at the behaviour of the MCC members calling their behaviour to be disrespectful.
47.
Usman Khawaja further elaborated that certain people in the crowd brought about his past failures and struggles in English conditions when he was part of Aussies side in 2013 and 2019 for the Ashes series down under.
48.
Usman Khawaja expressed his grief over the fact that he is being taken for granted by certain fans for his politeness whereas he compared English cricket crowd with that of rowdy football crowd highlighting the aggression and abuse hurled at him during the Ashes series.
49.
Usman Khawaja ended up rectifying his abysmal track record in English conditions by aggregating a tally of 496 runs in the five-match series including as he made the most out of the opportunity cashing in on by letting his bat do the talk eventually silencing his critics who were bragging about Usman Khawaja's poor record in England.
50.
Usman Khawaja had endured a lean patch of form during Australia's five-match home test series against India having mustered only 184 runs in across 10 innings with a low average of 20.44 and only managed to score a solitary half-century.
51.
Usman Khawaja was largely troubled and undone by the mastery of Indian lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah who was the most senior pro of the India bowling unit who had spearheaded the relatively depleted hapless Indian bowling unit by bowling upfront.
52.
Usman Khawaja had a surprisingly disappointing return to test cricket overall in 2024 with just two half-centuries to his name, despite after having set the test cricket scene on fire in 2023.
53.
Usman Khawaja found his mojo and redemption during the first test match of the two-match test tour to Sri Lanka where he applied good use of the feet and batting temperament against a hapless Sri Lankan spin bowling attack and on first day's play he reached to his first test century since 2023 and ended up remaining unbeaten on 147 before rain curtailed further play to effectively bring stumps to day one's proceedings.
54.
When he reached the landmark triple figures to raise his bat towards the dressing room indicating a vital century to put the criticisms aside, he became only the second Australian batsman after Allan Border to have completed a set of test centuries in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, while Usman Khawaja has a test century to his name in the United Arab Emirates to be in the elite list of being the only Australian to have completed centuries in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the UAE.
55.
Usman Khawaja eventually scored his maiden double century in test cricket and became the second oldest ever Australian test cricketer to score a double century at the age of 38 years and 42 days, trailing only behind Aussie great Don Bradman who did it at the age of 39 years and 149 days.
56.
Usman Khawaja became the first Australian batsman to score a test match double century in Sri Lankan soil, while bettering the previous best score of 166 made by Justin Langer in Sri Lankan soil.
57.
Usman Khawaja shattered the record held by Michael Slater's innings of 219 for the highest individual score by an Australian batsman against Sri Lanka in test cricket with 232.
58.
Usman Khawaja became only the second Australian to score a double century in test match cricket against Australia after Michael Slater and he became the oldest ever cricketer to score test double century in Sri Lankan soil shattering the previous record held by Sachin Tendulkar who was 37 when he scored 200 in 2010.
59.
Usman Khawaja put on a record-breaking third wicket partnership of 266 runs with Steve Smith which shattered the previous highest third-wicket partnership by an Australian pair in Asian soil.
60.
Usman Khawaja has scored 16 centuries in Test matches and two in One Day Internationals.