SYDNEY: Veteran Australia batter Usman Khawaja will retire from international cricket after the fifth Ashes test starting Sunday at the Sydney Cricket Ground, he announced on Friday.
Khawaja, 39, used his announcement to speak out against what he described as racial stereotyping during his career.
The Pakistan-born Khawaja was the first Muslim to play test cricket for Australia.
The Sydney test will be his 88th and final appearance. It will also be played at the ground where he began his first-class career.
Khawaja scored his first Ashes century at the SCG in 2018. He made 171 against England.
He later revived his career at the same venue at age 35. He scored two centuries against England and sparked a late-career resurgence.
Over the next two years, Khawaja scored seven more test centuries.
His place in the team came under scrutiny this season. Back spasms ruled him out of the first Ashes test in Perth and the Brisbane test.
Selectors initially left him out in Adelaide. He returned after Steve Smith missed the match with vertigo.
Khawaja scored 82 in the first innings in Adelaide. The performance secured his place for the fourth test in Melbourne.
Australia lead the series 3-1 and have retained the Ashes heading into the final test.
Speaking in Sydney, Khawaja said he was treated “a little bit different” because of his Pakistani and Muslim background.
He said media and former players questioned his commitment after his injury.
“Once the racial stereotypes came in, of me being lazy, it was something I’ve dealt with my whole life,” Khawaja said.
He said he was criticized for playing golf before the Perth test. Some commentators suggested it caused his back injury.
Khawaja rejected the claim.
He said players who drink heavily or play golf before matches often escape criticism. He said such behavior is dismissed as part of Australian sporting culture.
“But when I get injured, everyone questioned my credibility and who I am as a person,” he said.
Khawaja said he sensed this Ashes series would be his last.
“I’m glad I can go out on my own terms,” he said.
He has scored 6,206 test runs at an average of 43.49. He hit 16 centuries and 28 half-centuries in 87 tests.
Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg praised Khawaja’s impact on and off the field.
He called Khawaja one of Australia’s most reliable opening batters.
Greenberg also highlighted Khawaja’s role in Australia’s 2023 World Test Championship win, when he was named ICC Test Cricketer of the Year.
Khawaja said his main feeling after announcing retirement was contentment.
“I’m very lucky to have played so many games for Australia,” he said. “I hope I’ve inspired people along the way.”
