The Australian Cricket Team is known as the behemoth in international cricket. It has been proved that to make it to the Australian a cricketer must have pedigree and perseverance. One player who typifies the two qualities is none other than Usman Khawaja.
The left-handed batter was born in Islamabad and moved Down Under very young. Fighting against all the odds Usman Khawaja forged his cricketing career. His career graph is nothing short of inspiration with years’ of yeoman service.
As Usman Khawaja turns 37, his international career is in its final stages but there seems to be a lot left in the tank. With an impressive 90 runs from 190 balls against Pakistan during the Perth Test, the left-handed batter showed what Test Match temperament is all about.
Usman Khawaja: A Role Model for the ages
Born on December 18th, 1986 Usman Tariq Khawaja was a youngster when his family moved to Australia in search of better life. Known as a gritty player right from his formative age, Usman Khawaja was soon making headways in the game.
The age of 21, Usman Khawaja made his Sheffield Shield debut for New South Wales against a strong Victorian team. Batting at number 7, Khawaja scored 85 runs from 173 balls before he was run out. The game ended in a draw but the youngster had shown his class to the world. His List A debut though was uneventful as he was out for 9 when he was dismissed by Shaun Tait.
After years of toiling in the domestic circuit, Khawaja got his baggy green in front of his home crowd against England. The left-hander scored 58 runs in total with 37 runs coming in the 1st dig. After that he was dropped from the side and had to go through a few testing years.
Once Chris Rogers retired the doors opened once again as Usman Khawaja made his way back into the side. Usman Khawaja scored his first test century against New Zealand where hit 174 runs in Brisbane. This was followed by two more test centuries with 121 against the Kiwis in Perth and 144 against West Indies in Melbourne. The left-hander also scored his first overseas ton against the Kiwis racking 140 runs on a testing pitch in wellington.
After a few failures Khawaja hit a memorable 145 against South Africa in Adelaide. For a while it seemed that the left-hander was here to stay. But bad fortune and form soon followed and despite scoring 171 against England in Sydney he was in and out of the side.
The crowning moment for Usman Khawaja came during the Ashes Test of 2022 in Sydney where he scored a century in each innings. Since then Usman Khawaja has cemented his place in the Australian team and is now a huge part of the test side. With David Warner set to retire soon one expects the soft-spoken Aussie opener to keep going for a little longer.
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