Usman Tariq Khawaja

Usman Khawaja News

View all

We invite you to find out all the latest information about the cricketer Usman Khawaja, how he trains, which cricket matches he has already participated in, and which ones he plans to participate in.

‌AUS vs SL | Twitter reacts to Kuhnemann and Lyon back batters dominance to dent Lanka at home  

Australia beat Sri Lanka by an innings and 242 runs in the opening of the two-match Test series. Nine-wicket and Seven-wicket hauls from Matt Kuhnemann and Nathan Lyon respectively backed their batting dominance, highlighted by Usman Khawaja’s double ton to outsmart Lankan resilience.

Usman Khawaja05:56 PM, 30 January, 2025

SL vs AUS | Khawaja doubles down and Inglis tons up on debut to leave Sri Lanka on the brink on Day 2

Usman Khawaja02:04 PM, 22 November, 2024

BGT | Twitter awed as Bumrah strikes fear into Aussie hearts by dispatching Khawaja and Smith in two balls

Usman Khawaja01:15 PM, 22 November, 2024

BGT | Twitter applauds as Khawaja channels 'Australian mindset' to make up for dropped sitter in style

Usman Khawaja04:21 PM, 10 January, 2024

BBL 13 | Twitter in frenzy after bizarre gully-cricket scenes take center stage in BBL

International career

Usman Khawaja was born on December 18, 1986. He is an Australian cricketer who plays for the national team in Test cricket and for Queensland in domestic matches. Khawaja started playing first-class cricket for New South Wales in 2008 and joined the Australian national team in January 2011. He has also played in county cricket in the UK and had brief stints in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Khawaja was part of the Australian team that won the 2021–2023 ICC World Test Championship. He scored 1,621 runs in the championship, the second-highest total, and the highest for any Australian batsman. In 2023, he won the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year Award.

Test Matches:

• Debut: Australia vs. England at Sydney, January 3-7, 2011
• Last Match: Sri Lanka vs. Australia at Galle, February 6-9, 2025

ODI Matches:

• Debut: Australia vs. Sri Lanka at Melbourne, January 11, 2013
• Last Match: South Africa vs. Australia at Manchester, July 6, 2019

T20I Matches:

• Debut: Australia vs. India at Sydney, January 31, 2016
• Last Match: Sri Lanka vs. Australia at Colombo (RPS), September 9, 2016

Career Highlights:

• 2010-11 Ashes Series: Khawaja was part of the Australian squad and played his first Test match during the series. He replaced Ricky Ponting, who had a finger injury, and made his debut in the fifth Test against England at Sydney. Khawaja became the first Muslim and first Pakistani-born Australian to play Test cricket for Australia.
• 2013: Khawaja faced a suspension due to a breach of discipline, alongside teammates James Pattinson, Shane Watson, and Mitchell Johnson. He returned to the team during the Ashes series and replaced Ed Cowan for the second Test.
• 2015: Khawaja scored his maiden Test century (174 runs) in the first Test against New Zealand, marking his return to the team after a two-year gap.
• 2016: He made his T20I debut against India. He also faced challenges against spin bowling in Sri Lanka but made a strong comeback. Khawaja set a record as the first batsman to score a Test century in a Day-Night Test in Australia.
• 2017: Khawaja played his first Test against Pakistan, the country of his birth, at the Gabba. He faced a unique situation when he mistakenly walked to the Pakistani dressing room.
• 2018: Khawaja was awarded a national contract. He played a crucial innings of 141 runs in the first Test against Pakistan in Dubai, which helped Australia draw a match under pressure. This innings marked a turning point in his career as he showed significant improvement in his technique against spin bowling.
• 2019: Khawaja was part of Australia's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup, but an injury during the tournament ruled him out. Later in the year, he played in the Ashes series, where his performances were below expectations. He was replaced for the fourth Test by Steve Smith.
• 2020: Khawaja was named in a 26-man preliminary squad for a potential tour of England, but he was not included in the final squad.
• 2022: Khawaja made a stunning comeback to international cricket, scoring centuries in both innings of the fourth Ashes Test. He then went on to have an outstanding series in Pakistan, scoring 496 runs and earning the Player of the Series award.
• 2023: In the third Test against South Africa, Khawaja completed 4,000 Test runs and scored his career-best 195 runs. He continued his great form in the 2023 Ashes series, scoring 496 runs and helping Australia retain the Ashes. He was awarded Player of the Match in the first Test for his batting performance.
• 2024-2025: After a lean patch against India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Khawaja bounced back with a remarkable century against Sri Lanka, which was his first Test century since 2023. He went on to score a double century in the same series, setting multiple records along the way.

Leagues Participation

Usman Khawaja has played in several big T20 leagues. In the Indian Premier League (IPL), he was with Rising Pune Supergiant in 2016. In the Big Bash League (BBL), Khawaja played for Sydney Thunder from 2011/12 to 2021/22, and then joined Brisbane Heat starting from the 2022/23 season. He also played in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). His time in these leagues helped him develop as a strong batsman in short-format cricket.

Indian Premier League

Usman Khawaja played for Rising Pune Supergiant in the Indian Premier League (IPL) during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. The team was disbanded after the 2017 season. 

Big Bash League

From 2011 to February 2022, Usman Khawaja played for Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League (BBL). He was a key player for the team, becoming one of their main batsmen. In BBL05, Khawaja was the second highest run scorer, with 345 runs at an average of 172.50. He helped Sydney Thunder win the title in the 2015-16 season.

In 2022, he chose to leave the Thunder to be closer to his family in Brisbane, as his wife was expecting their second child. He joined Brisbane Heat in June 2022 and became their captain for the new season.

Pakistan Super League

In April 2021, Usman Khawaja was signed by Islamabad United to play the rescheduled matches of the 2021 Pakistan Super League (PSL). He joined the team during a challenging time and contributed to their performance in the tournament.

Year	Team	Notes
2021	Islamabad United	Signed for rescheduled matches in PSL 2021

Domestic career

Usman Khawaja started his domestic career in 2008 with New South Wales. He debuted in first-class cricket and scored consecutive double centuries for the NSW Second XI, a record for the team. He became an important player for New South Wales and impressed in various formats.

In 2011, Khawaja joined Derbyshire for the English county season. He scored a century against Kent and played in the County Championship. He later moved to Lancashire in 2014, where he continued to perform well with the bat.

Khawaja was part of Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League for many seasons. In 2015, he became the captain of Queensland cricket team. He also played for Glamorgan in the 2018 Vitality Blast and joined Islamabad United for the 2021 Pakistan Super League.

Khawaja also played club cricket for Valley District Cricket Club in Brisbane. In 2016, he got engaged to Rachel McLellan, and they married in 2018. Khawaja holds dual citizenship with Australia and Pakistan.

Records and achievements

Usman Khawaja has made a significant mark in international cricket. He has scored 16 centuries in Test matches and two in One Day Internationals. His highest Test score is 232 runs, achieved against Sri Lanka at Galle in January 2025. In ODIs, his highest score is 104, which came against India at Ranchi in March 2019.

• Wisden Cricketers of the Year: 2024
• ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year: 2023
• Shane Warne Men’s Test Player of the Year: 2023
• ICC Men's Test Team of the Year: 2022, 2023
• Australian Domestic Player of the Year: 2011

Personal life

Usman Khawaja’s life outside cricket is just as interesting as his career. He was born in Pakistan and moved to Australia when he was four. Khawaja is known for being the first Australian cricketer of Pakistani origin to play for his country. He also has a background in aviation.

Finance

As of 2024, Khawaja’s wealth is around $2 million.

Family

Usman’s parents are Tariq and Fozia Khawaja. He moved to Australia with them as a young child. Usman is a trained pilot and earned a degree in aviation before fully focusing on cricket. He became engaged to Rachel McLellan in December 2016 and married her in April 2018. Rachel converted to Islam before the wedding. Usman holds dual Australian and Pakistani citizenship.

Scandals

In December 2023, Khawaja wore shoes with the words "All lives are equal" and "freedom is a human right" in the colors of the Palestinian flag. The ICC warned him about this, as it went against their regulations. Khawaja then covered the writing with tape during a match. Later, he criticized the ICC for not being consistent in applying their rules. He also pointed out that other players wore symbols related to their faiths without facing penalties.

Fans

Khawaja has 770,000 followers on Instagram.