Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja was born in Pakistan and presently represents both the local team “Queensland” and the Australian national side. He is a left-handed batter and a right-arm medium bowler. Usman was born in Pakistan’s capital city of Islamabad and relocated to Australia’s New South Wales with his family when he was five years old. He graduated from the University of New South Wales with a bachelor’s degree in aviation before to playing in his first international test match during the 2010–2011 “Ashes” series against England. Usman, a top-order batsman, was selected for the Australian U-19 team to compete in the Sri Lankan “U-19 Cricket World Cup” in 2006. After that, he represented his hometown team, “New South Wales,” in first-class cricket. Additionally, he has played cricket for Derbyshire in England and Sydney Thunder in Australia. Usman has amassed 2,765 runs at an average of 42.53 in 41 test matches for his country’s national side. In 31 one-day international (ODI) games, he has also participated and amassed 1,238 runs at a batting average of 44.21. He also participated in the Indian Premier League in 2016 and 2017 with the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant franchise.
Early Life & Childhood
Usman On December 18, 1986, Tariq Khawaja was born in Islamabad, Pakistan, to Tariq Khawaja and Fozia Tariq. Raised with his two elder brothers, Arsalan and Nauman, he was the third kid in the family. When Usman was five years old, the family relocated to Australia’s New South Wales.
The family made their home on Centennial Park’s Cook Road in a modest flat. Usman began playing cricket with his brothers in a nearby park. Usman, however, had some challenges because he was too young to play with the other boys in his group.
When he first got to Australia, he didn’t speak English either. Usman faced numerous challenges as a result of not being allowed to play street cricket and socialize with the other kids.
When he was younger, Usman spent a lot of time watching international matches at the “Sydney Cricket Ground,” which was only a short drive from his home.
The family’s early years in Australia were spent in challenging circumstances. When his father secured a reliable position as an IT architect, they moved to a larger home in Erksine Park, close to Penrith.
While Usman was at school, he frequently experienced racial discrimination. Despite everything, he excelled academically. Following his graduation from the ‘Westfields Sports High School,’ Usman enrolled in the ‘University of New South Wales’ and earned a degree in aviation. Before obtaining his driver’s license, he obtained his pilot’s license.
But cricket was his forte. His career in domestic cricket had begun before he even received his undergraduate degree.
Career of Usman Khawaja
Usman, who represented the “New South Wales” side in the “Australian U-19 Championship” at the age of 19, was later voted the “Player of the Australian Under-19 Championship.” His selection for the Australian “U-19 World Cup” team was made possible by this. At his team’s 2006 “U-19 World Cup,” which was played in Sri Lanka, he batted first.
He debuted in the first class in 2008, representing the “New South Wales Blues.” He scored two straight double-hundreds for the “New South Wales Second XI” in that same year. The Australian national test squad selectors took notice of him as a result of this.
Usman was named in an official announcement in June 2010 for the Australian team’s two-match test match series against Pakistan.
His inclusion in the ‘Ashes’ series for 2010–2011 was a significant accomplishment. The English and Australian cricket teams play five test matches a year in a series known as the “Ashes.” Usman was allowed to participate in the third game following Ricky Ponting’s injury. But Usman made his formal debut in the series’ fifth game.
Usman then made history by being the first Muslim player to represent Australia in test cricket. Additionally, he was the first Australian cricket player to be born in Pakistan.
Except for a few sporadic setbacks, like poor form and disciplinary action taken against him, Usman has been a consistent member of the Australian test team since his debut against England. Usman has participated in 41 test matches for Australia since making his debut, amassing 2,765 runs at a batting average of 42.53 runs per inning. In addition, he has eight test centuries and fourteen half-centuries.
He played his first ODI in Melbourne in January 2013 against Sri Lanka. In the 31 matches he has played, he has amassed 1,238 ODI runs, including two centuries and ten half-centuries.
In addition, he has been linked to the Australian domestic Twenty20 tournament known as the “Big Bash League,” where he plays for the Sydney Thunder side.
In addition, he gained popularity in the domestic English county leagues, where he played for “Derbyshire” from 2011 to 2014. In 2014, he signed a contract with “Lancashire” to play all positions for the squad.
He succeeded James Hopes as captain of the local team “Queensland” in 2015. In April of that year, he signed a contract with the “Glamorgan County Cricket Club” to play in the 2018 “Vitality Blast” competition.
Since making his debut in an international Twenty20 match against India in Sydney on January 31, 2016, he has also been a regular in those matches.
In 2013, he was suspended, along with James Pattinson, Shane Watson, and Mitchell Johnson, during his India tour, before the third test match against the home country. The Australian media, however, was highly critical of the disciplinary action.
Usman became the first cricket player to hit a century in the new test match format since the day-night format was introduced.
Personal & Family Life
On April 6, 2018, Usman Khawaja wed Rachel McLellan. In December 2016, he made his engagement public. Rachel became an Islamic convert before the wedding. She has supported him through all of his career’s highs and lows, most notably the time he was benched from the team after two test matches in Sri Lanka.
He has a close relationship with his parents as well. Before he bats a ball, his mother says a prayer.
Arsalan Khawaja, his elder brother, has a history of run-ins with the Australian authorities. He was detained by the authorities in December 2018 due to his association with a “fake terrorist hit list.” In the same month, he was granted bail and freed from custody, but he was later arrested again for attempting to influence a witness.
Net worth of Usman Khawaja
The estimated net worth of Usman Khawaja is about $10 million.
Trivia
Usman’s favorite batsmen are Brian Lara and Adam Gilchrist. Wasim Akram, Brett Lee, and Waqar Younis are a few of his favorite bowlers.
In his free time, he enjoys playing golf, playing the guitar, and listening to music. One of his favorite movie stars is Emma Watson.