Usman Khawaja facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Usman Khawaja

Khawaja in January 2018
Personal information
Full name	Usman Tariq Khawaja
Born	(1986-12-18) 18 December 1986 (age 38) Islamabad, Pakistan
Nickname	Uzzie
Height	177 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Batting	Left-handed
Bowling	Right-arm off break
Role	Top-order batter
International information
National side	Australia (2011–present)
Test debut (cap 419)	3 January 2011 v England
Last Test	12 July 2025 v West Indies
ODI debut (cap 199)	11 January 2013 v Sri Lanka
Last ODI	6 July 2019 v South Africa
ODI shirt no.	1
T20I debut (cap 80)	31 January 2016 v India
Last T20I	9 September 2016 v Sri Lanka
T20I shirt no.	1
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2007/08–2011/12	New South Wales
2011–2012	Derbyshire
2011/12–2021/22	Sydney Thunder
2012/13–present	Queensland
2014	Lancashire
2016	Rising Pune Supergiant
2018	Glamorgan
2021	Islamabad United
2022/23–present	Brisbane Heat
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 84 40 219 133 Runs scored 6,053 1,554 15,122 5,494 Batting average 43.86 42.00 43.95 45.03 100s/50s 16/27 2/12 43/71 14/32 Top score 232 104 232 166 Balls bowled 18 – 174 – Wickets 0 – 1 – Bowling average – – 111.00 – 5 wickets in innings – – 0 – 10 wickets in match – – 0 – Best bowling – – 1/21 – Catches/stumpings 65/– 13/– 169/– 49/–
Medal record Men's cricket Representing  Australia ICC World Test Championship Winner 2021-2023 Runner-up 2023–2025 {{{3}}}
Source: ESPNCricInfo, 15 July 2025

Usman Tariq Khawaja (Urdu: عثمان خواجہ; born 18 December 1986) is an Australian international cricketer. He plays for the Australia national cricket team in Test cricket. He also captains the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League and plays for Queensland in domestic games.

Usman Khawaja made his first-class cricket debut for New South Wales in 2008. He played his first international match for Australia in January 2011. He was part of the Sydney Thunder team from 2011 to 2022. With them, he won the 2015–16 Big Bash League season and was named man of the match in the final. He has also played in the United Kingdom, India, and Pakistan. Khawaja led Queensland in first-class and List A cricket from 2015 to 2024. He captained them to win the 2020-21 Sheffield Shield title. He also won man of the match in the 2013–14 Ryobi One-Day Cup final.

Khawaja played ODI cricket from 2013 to 2019 and T20I cricket in 2016. He played in the 2016 T20 World Cup and the 2019 Cricket World Cup. As a left-handed batter, he usually bats at number 3 or opens the batting. He was a key player in the Australian team that won the 2021–2023 ICC World Test Championship. He scored the second-highest runs in that championship, with 1,621 runs. In 2023, he received the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year Award.

Early Life and Background

Usman Khawaja was born in Islamabad, Pakistan. His parents are Tariq and Fozia Tariq. His family moved to New South Wales, Australia, when he was four years old. He became the first Australian cricketer of Pakistani origin to play for Australia in Test cricket. This happened during the 2010–11 Ashes series.

Before becoming a Test cricketer, Usman studied aviation at the University of New South Wales. He is a qualified commercial pilot. He even got his pilot's license before his driving license! He attended Westfields Sports High School. Usman Khawaja married his wife Rachel on 6 April 2018. Rachel converted to Islam before their wedding. Khawaja holds citizenship in both Australia and Pakistan.

Views on Rules and Fairness

In December 2023, Usman Khawaja wore shoes with personal messages during a training session. The ICC warned him that he would be penalized if he continued. During a match, he covered the writing on his shoes and wore black armbands. The ICC said wearing armbands broke their rules.

Khawaja stated he respects the ICC's rules. However, he asked for "consistency" in how rules are applied. He shared examples of other cricketers who had symbols on their bats, like religious symbols. Former cricketer Michael Holding and Australia's captain Pat Cummins supported Khawaja. Cummins said, "He's standing up for what he believes and I think he's done it really respectfully."

Playing for Teams

Khawaja in 2011

Usman Khawaja is a left-handed top-order batsman. He was named Player of the Australian Under-19 Championship in 2005. He also played for Australia in the 2006 U-19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka.

He made his first-class debut for the New South Wales Blues in 2008. In the same year, he scored two double centuries in a row for the NSW Second XI. This was a first for a NSW player. In 2010, he was chosen for the Australian team to play Pakistan in England.

From 2011 to February 2022, Khawaja played for the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League. In the 2015–16 season, he was the second-highest run scorer. He scored 345 runs with an average of 172.50.

Khawaja also played for Derbyshire in England in 2011. He scored a century (135 runs) against Kent. He later played for Lancashire in 2014. In August 2015, Khawaja became the captain of the Queensland cricket team. In April 2018, he joined Glamorgan County Cricket Club for a tournament in England. In 2021, he played for Islamabad United in the 2021 Pakistan Super League. In February 2022, Khawaja left the Sydney Thunder for family reasons. On 29 June 2022, he joined the Brisbane Heat and became their captain.

International Cricket Journey

Khawaja was part of the Australian team for the 2010–11 Ashes series. He made his Test debut against England in Sydney on 3 January 2011. He became the 419th Australian to receive a Test cap. Khawaja was the first Muslim and first Pakistani-born Australian to play Test cricket for Australia.

In March 2013, Khawaja was temporarily suspended from the team due to a discipline issue. He returned to Test cricket in the 2013 Ashes series. On 5 November 2015, he scored his first Test century, making 174 runs against New Zealand. This was his tenth Test match.

He made his Twenty20 International debut for Australia against India on 31 January 2016. Khawaja was in excellent form during the 2015–16 season. He also started using Kookaburra cricket equipment.

Khawaja celebrates after scoring a century against South Africa in Adelaide (2016).

Khawaja played his first Test match against Pakistan, the country where he was born, on 15 December 2016. He joked about a moment of confusion when he was directed to the Pakistani team's changing room. In January 2017, he celebrated a half-century with a "dab" dance move. This received mixed reactions.

In April 2018, Cricket Australia gave him a national contract. He played a match-saving innings against Pakistan in Dubai in 2018. He scored 141 runs under pressure and was named player of the match. This performance helped him overcome past struggles against spin bowling.

In April 2019, he was selected for Australia's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. He got a hamstring injury in the last group match, which meant he could not play the rest of the tournament. He was also part of Australia's squad for the 2019 Ashes series in England.

Return to International Cricket

In January 2022, Khawaja made a strong return to international cricket in the 4th Ashes Test at SCG. He scored centuries in both innings of the match, with scores of 137 and 101 not out.

Khawaja then toured Pakistan with the Australian team. He was the top run-scorer in the series, with 496 runs at an average of 165.33. This earned him the player of the series award. He scored 97 in the first Test, 160 in the second, and 91 and 104 not out in the third. His efforts helped Australia win the series.

In January 2023, during the third Test against South Africa, he reached 4000 Test runs. He also scored his career-best of 195 not out. Khawaja won the Shane Warne Test Player of the Year award at the Allan Border Medal ceremony. He also received the Community Impact Award.

2023 Ashes Series

Khawaja continued his great form in the 2023 Ashes series in England. He scored 496 runs, the most by any player in the series. Most of his runs came in the first two Tests, which Australia won. In the first Test at Edgbaston, he scored his first Test century in England, making 141 runs. He was named player of the match for his batting. Khawaja also became only the second Australian to bat on all five days of a Test match.

During the second match at Lord's, Khawaja had a disagreement with some members of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). He felt their behavior was disrespectful. Khawaja later said that the crowd during the 2023 Ashes was "far worse" than anything he had experienced before. He mentioned receiving constant negative comments about his past performance in England. Despite this, he proved his critics wrong by scoring many runs.

After the 2023 Ashes

Khawaja had a challenging time during Australia's home Test series against India. He scored 184 runs in 10 innings. India's bowler Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Khawaja six times. Khawaja later said Bumrah was the toughest bowler he had ever faced. In the final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Khawaja scored an important 41 runs. This helped Australia win the series 3-1 and secure a spot in the 2025 ICC World Test Championship final.

In January 2025, during a Test tour to Sri Lanka, Khawaja found his form again. He scored his first Test century since 2023, remaining unbeaten on 147 on the first day. He became only the second Australian after Allan Border to score Test centuries in India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. He also has a century in the United Arab Emirates. Khawaja then scored his first double century in Test cricket, making 232 runs. He became the second oldest Australian to score a double century at 38 years and 42 days. He also set a new record for the highest score by an Australian in Sri Lanka. Khawaja and Steve Smith also made a record 266-run partnership for the third wicket.

Career Highlights and Centuries

• Wisden Cricketers of the Year: 2024
• ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year: 2023
• Shane Warne Men’s Test Player of the Year: 2023
• ICC Men's Test Team of the Year: 2022, 2023
• Australian Domestic Player of the Year: 2011

International Centuries

Usman Khawaja has scored 16 centuries in Test matches and two in One Day Internationals. His highest Test score is 232, made against Sri Lanka in January 2025. His highest ODI score is 104, made against India in March 2019.

Test Centuries

List of Test centuries scored by Usman Khawaja

No.	Score	Opponent	Pos.	Venue	Date	Result	Ref
1	174	New Zealand	3	The Gabba, Brisbane	5 November 20151	Won
2	121	New Zealand	3	WACA Ground, Perth	13 November 2015	Drawn
3	144	West Indies	3	Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne	26 December 2015	Won
4	140	New Zealand	3	Basin Reserve, Wellington	12 February 2016	Won
5	145	South Africa	1	Adelaide Oval, Adelaide	24 November 2016	Won
6	171	England	3	Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney	12 January 2018	Won
7	141	Pakistan	2	Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai	7 October 2018	Drawn
8	101*	Sri Lanka	3	Manuka Oval, Canberra	1 February 2019	Won
9	137	England	5	Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney	5 January 2022	Drawn
10	101*
11	160	Pakistan	2	National Stadium, Karachi	12 March 2022	Drawn
12	104*	Pakistan	1	Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore	21 March 2022	Won
13	195*	South Africa	1	Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney	4 January 2023	Drawn
14	180	India	2	Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad	10 March 2023	Drawn
15	141	England	2	Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Birmingham	16 June 2023	Won
16	232	Sri Lanka	1	Galle International Stadium, Galle	30 January 20251	Won

One Day International Centuries

List of ODI centuries scored by Usman Khawaja

No.	Score	Opponent	Pos.	Venue	Date	Result	Ref
1	104	India	2	JSCA International Stadium, Ranchi	8 March 2019	Won
2	100	India	1	Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi	13 March 2019	Won