Steve Smith has light-heartedly revealed that Usman Khawaja ‘hates’ the Aussie cricket team over being dropped from the Test side on multiple occasions leading up to the 2019 Ashes series.
The stand-in skipper lauded Khawaja on Saturday, a day after the opening batter announced the Sydney Ashes Test will be the last time he wears the baggy green.
Some 20 years ago, Smith first looked at Khawaja in awe and had an inkling of what the left-hander could achieve in cricket.
As Khawaja’s illustrious Test career draws to a close in Sydney, Smith paid tribute to his long-time teammate’s achievements.
But Smith would not be drawn into claims from Australia‘s first Muslim and Pakistani-born Test cricketer that he was treated differently from teammates.
‘He’s had a wonderful career,’ Smith said.
Usman Khawaja will play his final match for Australia at the SCG after announcing his retirement on Friday
Stand-in skipper Steve Smith has praised Khawaja’s ‘wonderful’ career – and light-heartedly revealed the string of setbacks that made the veteran ‘hate’ the team
‘We knew he was such a talent from a young age. I remember playing against him in a couple of under-17 vs under-19 games for NSW and watching him bat.
‘The way he pulled the ball, I was like, ‘This guy picks length up quicker than anyone I’ve seen’.
‘His progression over a long period of time has been outstanding.’
Islamabad-born, Sydney-raised Khawaja will finish as the 15th greatest Test run-scorer in Australian history, revered for a career renaissance that ignited during the previous home Ashes.
As captain, Smith had played a hand in Khawaja’s stop-start career trajectory before the comeback that began four summers ago with twin centuries at the SCG.
Khawaja was dropped seven times in eight years up to the 2019 Ashes, notably for the 2017 series against India over concerns with his record against spin.
‘He hates us for it but he got that opportunity to go back and figure ways to play. Whether he would’ve done that had he kept playing, I’m not sure,’ Smith said.
After struggling in Asian conditions early on, Khawaja now has the second-highest average on the subcontinent of any Australian to play more than five Tests there.
Khawaja was dropped from the Test side seven times in eight years
The 39-year-old is pictured with wife Rachel and daughters Aisha and Ayla after his emotional press conference at the SCG
‘He’s arguably one of our best players of spin now. Maybe a blessing in disguise.’
Perhaps Khawaja’s greatest legacy will be his advocacy for the marginalised, and lighting a pathway for other players of subcontinental heritage into the Baggy Green.
On Friday, Khawaja claimed ‘racial stereotypes’ had been reiterated in harsh criticism over his back injury during this summer’s Perth Test, suffered the day after playing golf.
‘I can give you countless numbers of guys who have played golf the day before a match and have been injured, but you guys (the media) haven’t said a thing,’ he said.
Smith agreed that criticism was too harsh, but would not speak about Khawaja’s feeling that he had been treated differently.
‘I’m not going into the mind of Usman Khawaja,’ he said.
‘Some of the stuff around him getting injured when he played golf the day before the game, that was unfair. I think he’s done that for 15 years and had a pretty good career.
‘To the rest of it, I can’t really say too much on that. That’s Usman’s views.’
