‘Still have to fight every single day’: Khawaja calls out racial stereotypes in Australian cricket

Sydney, Jan 2 (IANS) Retiring veteran batter Usman Khawaja has hit out at racial stereotypes in Australian cricket, claiming he has been treated differently across his career because of his race and religion.

Khawaja, who was born in Pakistan and was the first Muslim to play Test cricket for Australia, in a 50-minute press conference at the SCG while announcing his international retirement, declared he wanted to make life easier for “the next Usman Khawaja.

The veteran batter said he is still battling stereotypes in his final season, claiming some of the criticism of his Ashes preparation had racial undertones.

Speaking at the press conference with his wife, Rachel and his two daughters, Khawaja also spoke about the criticism he faced for playing three days of golf before the Perth Test, where he suffered back spasms, which prevented him from opening in both innings.

“I had back spasms, and it was something I couldn’t control. The way the media and the past players came out and attacked me … I could have copped it for two days, but I copped her for about five days straight,” said Khawaja.

He continued, “These are the same racial stereotypes I’ve grown up with my whole life. We obviously haven’t fully moved passed them, because I’ve never seen anyone been treated like that in the Australian cricket team before … not for the uncontrollables the way you guys went at me.

“There’s still a little bit out there, which I still have to fight every single day, which is the frustrating thing for me.

“I can give you countless number of guys who have played golf the day before (a Test) and been injured and you guys haven’t said a thing.

“I can give you even more guys who have had 15 schooners the night before and then gotten injured, no one said a word. That’s all right – they’re just being Aussie larrikins, right? They’re just being lads.

“But when I got injured, everyone went at my credibility and who I am as a person. So for me, that was the frustrating part.”

Khawaja was a key figure in helping to shape Cricket Australia’s Multicultural Action Plan, launched in 2023. He said cricket is a more welcoming sport in Australia than what it was.

“There’s still a bit to go, but the sport is definitely in a better spot. There are still challenges. If you look at Australia… It’s such a multicultural community. If you look at the amount of participation we have in cricket, subcontinental players particularly, but we don’t see that always in Australia.

“I get it – the Australian cricket team is hard to make. There are 11 spots. It’s not easy, and we don’t want to just gift people spots. There’s still an undertone here and there. “There are still challenges to be faced,” he said.

bc/