Reluctant pioneer Khawaja confronts racial stereotypes before Sydney says goodbye | Taha Hashim

MJust over half an hour after the press conference, when his retirement from Test cricket was confirmed, Usman Khawaja was asked about the role of opening the batting and its relevance in the modern game. He answered easily, describing the specific mental challenges associated with handling the new ball. A few minutes later he was asked how Australia can unite after last month’s terrorist attack on Bondi Beach. Once again there was little hesitation before the long answer. He cited the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, politicians who “seek to divide and conquer” and concluded with his reflections on the tragedy itself. This was no ordinary sporting farewell.

Those who have closely followed the course of Khawaja’s career will not be surprised by the candor during Friday’s 50-minute press conference and the resulting rules. Reflecting on his proud journey as a Pakistani-born Muslim boy ‘who was told he would never play for the Australian cricket team’, Khawaja claimed he was still subject to ‘racial stereotypes’, arguing these had resurfaced at the start of the Ashes when he came under scrutiny for playing golf in the build-up before suffering back spasms in the first Test.

“The way everyone came to me about my preparation was very personal,” Khawaja said, “in terms of things like ‘he’s not committed to the team,’ ‘he was only worried about himself,’ ‘he played this golf match the day before,’ ‘he’s selfish,’ ‘he doesn’t train hard enough,’ ‘he didn’t train the day before the game,’ ‘he’s lazy.’ These are the same stereotypes — racial stereotypes — that I grew up with all my life.”

This desire to engage in such conversations is unusual in Khawaja’s profession, even if there was an initial reluctance to get too personal early in his career. When he appeared at the Sydney Cricket Ground in January 2011, he seemed like a reluctant pioneer. The then 24-year-old played down the immediate impression he made as the first Muslim to play for Australia. “You can make something out of anything,” he said at the time. “You could say Michael Beer is the first person to stick out his tongue 24/7 to play for Australia.”

As time passed, he opened up. In 2017, he wrote about the racism he endured growing up in Sydney’s west, the mark left on him by being called “curry-muncher” by kids at school, how when he saw Australia play he “saw men who were hard-nosed, confident and almost brazen.” The same type of men who told me growing up about my heritage.”

He spoke more openly about the impact of his faith, the satisfaction it brought, and his voice was prominent and confident when discussing the plight of Palestinians. A pair of fairly simple, straightforward slogans on his boots – ‘All lives are equal’ and ‘Freedom is a human right’ – drew the ire of the International Cricket Council two years ago. “I put myself out there,” Khawaja said on Friday, adding that this is why he has been “nailed a lot in the last two years”.

When discussing the stereotypes he claims to have been subjected to by the media and former players, Khawaja gave no details, and any further explanation would have been welcome. But perhaps more attention should be paid to social media: it doesn’t take much effort to find the venom that comes at Khawaja there, to recognize the age-old rhythm of the abuse: that he should stick to the sport. Khawaja unflinchingly reminded that he has no intention of doing so.

There was also a message of hope. Khawaja said the game in Australia is more inclusive than when he started, and that “we are a lot better than where we were 15 years ago”. It can also be said with great certainty that he has inspired future generations, right from the very beginning when he brought down Chris Tremlett for his first boundary in Test cricket.

Some transparency is required here. I watched that opening knock as an impressionable 13-year-old and was grateful for something very simple: someone who looked like me, another Pakistani-born immigrant, doing something I loved, at the highest level possible. He was an instant hero. Since then, he has been a fascinating watch, reviving his career at several points, with his resurgence in 2022 particularly exciting. For a while he was truly the best red-ball opener in the world. Khawaja will end up at the SCG, where it all started, in the coming days, but his voice remains worth listening to.