Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has claimed that his representation in the Australian national team had a big role in the first and second generation sub-continent people supporting the Australian cricket team.
“When I started being more involved in cricket, people with subcontinent heritage in Australia came up to me and said, ‘We’re so happy to see you at the top. Seeing someone like you, we feel we’ve got a part in the Australian team, and we support the Australian team. We didn’t do it before, and we do it now,” Khawaja said in an interview from UAE to Espncricinfo
The 34-year-old who is in Abu Dhabi to play the UAE leg of the postponed Pakistan Super League, also detailed, how he was always made to feel that he cannot play for Australia.
“When I was younger in Australia, the amount of time I got told I was never going to play for Australia, I’m not the right skin colour was immense. I’d get told I don’t fit the team, and they wouldn’t pick me. That was the mentality, but now it’s starting to shift,” said Khawaja ho has so far represented Australia in 44 Tests, 40 ODIs and 9 T20Is.
Khawaja was the first person of Islamic religion to play for an Australian cricket team. He even considered once for the captaincy post and does captain his First-Class side Queensland. In 159 First Class Games, the Islamabad born, who would also be representing the team from this city, Islamabad united in the PSL, has scored more than 10,000 runs with 30 centuries to his name.