5th Ashes Test at SCG set to be last Test for Usman Khawaja as Australian announces retirement

Usman Khawaja, who was born in Pakistan, was the first Muslim cricketer to play Test cricket for Australia.

The fifth Ashes Test at the SCG will not just end the exhilarating Ashes series at 4-1 or 3-2; it will also close the final chapter of one of Australian cricket’s most meaningful modern careers. Usman Khawaja has confirmed he will retire from international cricket after this week’s Test against England, bringing the curtain down on a 15-year journey that began at the very same ground.

The 39-year-old informed teammates on Friday morning, ending any uncertainty around his future. The SCG, where he made his first-class debut in 2008 and Test debut in 2011, will now also be the venue of his farewell. Australia have already won the Ashes after winning the first three Tests.

Usman Khawaja announces retirement

In an emotional address, Khawaja reflected on the improbable road that took him from a two-bedroom apartment near Cook Road to 88 Test caps for Australia. “I lived just up the road from the SCG, on Cook Road, to be exact. And I’ll never forget when I was younger, I saw Michael Slater drive in his red Ferrari I couldn’t believe my luck, I just saw a Test cricketer. And as a boy whose parents were barely scraping through and trying to provide for their kids in a little two-bedroom apartment, I thought, ‘One day I’m going to be a Test cricketer, and one day I can drive whatever I want,” Khawaja said while speaking to media.

Born in Pakistan and raised in Sydney, Khawaja became Australia’s first Pakistan-born and first Muslim Test cricketer. He spoke directly to his parents during the announcement. “I’m a proud Muslim coloured boy from Pakistan who was told he would never play for the Australian cricket team. Look at me now,” Khawaja said. “I hope I repaid your sacrifice in leaving everything behind in Pakistan to come to Australia to give us kids a better life,” he said while addressing his parents in his speech.

His Test career was anything but smooth. After debuting as a 24-year-old replacing Ricky Ponting, he spent years in and out of the side before rebuilding himself at Queensland, captaining them to a Sheffield Shield title in 2020-21. The real transformation came with his stunning recall during the 2021-22 Ashes, when twin centuries at the SCG reignited everything.

From that moment until the end of the 2023 Ashes, Khawaja averaged over 60, finished as the leading run-scorer in that series, and later earned ICC Test Cricketer of the Year honours in the season Australia won the World Test Championship (WTC). In an era where almost all the openers struggles, Khawaja stood out.

He leaves the game with 6206 Test runs, 16 centuries, and a reputation as one of the calmest, toughest opening batters Australia has produced. “As I walk off for the last time I do so with gratitude and peace, or as we say, salaam, grateful for the journey, the people, the lessons. Thank you for letting me live my dream and for sharing it with me,” Khawaja said.