I’d get told I don’t fit the team and I’m not the right skin colour: Usman Khawaja

The talks of racism in cricket are not anything new and keep popping up time and again. Usman Khawaja is a known face of Australian cricket for a long time now and not many would believe that even he faced racism in his squad. When Khawaja marked his debut in 2011 Ashes at the Sydney Cricket Ground, he became the first Muslim player to have ever represented Kangaroos.

In the early 1990s, the 34-year-old moved to Australia from Pakistan with his family to have better things. However, in the latest turn of events, Khawaja shocked everyone by telling his story of facing racism. He was told that he is just not of the right colour and won’t ever be able to play for Australia.

I’d get told I don’t fit the team: Usman Khawaja

“When I was younger in Australia, the amount of time I got told I was never going to play for Australia, I’m not the right skin colour was immense. I’d get told I don’t fit the team, and they wouldn’t pick me. That was the mentality, but now it’s starting to shift,” revealed Khawaja in a chat with ESPNcricinfo.

The Australian batsman revealed that he moved from his birthplace Islamabad to Australia when he was 5-year-old. Shifting to Australia has made his family the cricket fans of the same country. He opened up on how people started supporting him when he went to the top.

Khawaja opens up on having different background

“When I started being more involved in cricket, people with subcontinent heritage in Australia came up to me and said, “we’re so happy to see you at the top. Seeing someone like you, we feel we’ve got a part in the Australian team, and we support the Australian team. We didn’t do it before, and we do it now,” added Khawaja.

He concluded his chat by stating that he did realize how much background matters to people. He didn’t have the idea of these things during his childhood but he surely has realized it.