If you have all heard the news over the past few weeks, you would know that Australia’s only Pakistani and only Muslim test cricket player Usman Khawaja has retired from international cricket. Khawaja’s journey into the national team has not been an easy one and for the last few years he has spoken about the racism which exists in Australian cricket.

If you think about it, cricket is a sport popular and dominated by South Asian countries, and this is no different in Australia. However, this doesn’t reflect on the national level in Australia – where Khawaja is pretty much one of the very few coloured players. If The Australian national team has more diversity, the racism and racial stereotypes issue Khawaja alluded to likely wouldn’t happen.

In a recent press conference held at the SCG, Khawaja made passionate statements about his retirement as well as about the racial stereotypes he has experienced in the past and recently. He stated that everything he has said and done was to make life easier for the next Usman Khawaja.

Khwaja stated that he was criticised and attacked by certain stakeholder groups and the media when he played golf and suffered back spasms in the lead up to the last test match in Perth. This forced him off the field and he missed the Brisbane test. He said:

“I could have copped it for two days, but I copped it for five days straight,” Khawaja said.

“It wasn’t even about my performances; it was about something very personal. It was about my preparation.

“The way that everyone came at me about my preparation was quite personal in terms of things like: ‘He’s not committed to the team, he was only worried about himself, he played this golf comp the day before, he’s selfish, he doesn’t train hard enough, he’s lazy.’

“These are the same racial stereotypes that I’ve grown up with my whole life.”

“I thought we were past that, but there’s still a little out there which I have to fight every single day,” he said.

“I understand that I’ve talked about certain issues outside cricket, which leaves me exposed and a lot of people don’t like that.

“I still find it hard when I say that everyone deserves freedom and that Palestinians deserve freedom and equal rights, and why that’s a big issue.

“But I get it because I put myself out there.

“Even when we get to Australian politics, and we get all these right-wing politicians that are anti-immigration and [fuel] Islamophobia, and I speak up against them, I know that people don’t love that.

“But I feel like I have to because where these guys are trying to divide and create hate and trying to create animosity in the Australian community, I’m doing the exact opposite.”

Of course some former players hit back at Khawaja’s statements about the ‘golf incident’. One was former bowler Jason Gillespie. In any case, it is great to see Khawaja so open and always speaking out about racism and Australian shitty right wing politics.

Let’s end this on a good note, where Khawaja thanked and paid homage to his parents for his acheivements:

“The early mornings, the long drives, the belief when the results weren’t there,” he said.

“Mum, you knew plenty of those, when I used to become disappointed or sad, you always consoled me and I’ll never forget that. Dad, you always said that I would play for Australia one day, even though sometimes I didn’t believe it myself.

“You taught me values before ambition, you taught me to be humble, always respectful, and treat everyone as equals, no matter what. I hope I repaid the sacrifice in leaving everything behind in Pakistan to come to Australia to give us kids a better life.”

We wish him all the best for the future!