Usman Khawaja

Born in Pakistan, Usman Khawaja became the first cricketer to represent Australia at the international stages. A classy top-order batsman, the southpaw gave up a career as a qualified pilot in order to pursue his future in cricket.

After migrating from Pakistan at a young age, Khawaja started playing for the Randwick Petersham club in the outskirts of New South Wales and made his first-class debut against Victoria in 2008 at the age of 22. Khawaja finished the 2008-09 domestic season at an average of 42.61 and started 2009-10 with three centuries in the Sheffield Shield tournament, earning a callup to the Test side against Pakistan in 2010.

After the much-hyped Test debut, his international career stalled slightly and he decided to move to Queensland from NSW at the start of the 2012-13 domestic season. Returning back from a serious knee injury in 2015, Khawaja played a major role in Thunder’s title conquest with two unbeaten centuries in the fifth edition of the Big Bash League (BBL). The southpaw rose to prominence and became a senior member of the Aussie Test squad when he scored a gritty Test century against Pakistan at Dubai in 2018 to save the match from the jaws of defeat.

Khawaja was roped in by the Rising Pune Supergiant in the 2016 season as a replacement, following injuries to Kevin Pietersen and Faf du Plessis. He was also the leading run-getter for Australia in the 2016 World T20 with 143 runs in four matches. The 34-year old cemented his spot in the 2019 World Cup after a couple of centuries during his India and UAE tour. 

A fine batsman with a rock-solid defence and decent footwork, Khawaja is equally adept at playing both spin and pace.

(As of November 2021)