Australian player Usman Khawaja announced his retirement
Sports Sports: Australian cricket team opener Usman Khawaja has announced his retirement from international cricket.
Having struggled with form for the past two years, Khawaja has scored only one half-century and one century in 2025.
Khwaja, who is currently playing in the ongoing Ashes cricket series against England, has scored just 153 runs in five innings.
Khwaja, who has faced widespread criticism for his actions, is facing calls for his retirement, with veteran players saying he should do so. In this context, Khawaja has announced that the 5th Ashes Test in Sydney will be his last match.
Who is Khawaja?
Khwaja, born in Pakistan, is the first Muslim player to join the Australian team.
He made his Test debut at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2011 and will retire at the same venue.
He has played 87 Tests, 40 ODIs, and 9 T20Is for Australia so far, scoring a total of 8,001 runs. Khawaja was a key player in the Australian team that won the 2023 World Test Championship. During this period alone, he scored 1,621 runs in 17 Test matches, with 6 centuries and 7 half-centuries.
He was embroiled in controversy after wearing a black shirt in a match against Pakistan in 2023 to show support for the people of Gaza in the Israel-Hamas war.
