London, 2 January. Australian opener Usman Khawaja announced in a press conference on Friday that the upcoming Test match starting Sunday in Sydney will be his last, marking his retirement from international cricket. In his farewell speech, Khawaja spoke about experiencing racial discrimination during his career in Australian cricket, a statement that has caused a stir within Cricket Australia.
Reacting to Khawaja’s remarks, former England spinner Monty Panesar shared his views. Panesar said he never faced any form of racial discrimination throughout his career. He stated that he always received full support from his teammates and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Panesar, of Indian origin, has played 50 Test matches for England between 2006 and 2013.
Usman Khawaja, of Pakistani origin, expressed in his retirement address, “I have always felt somewhat different. I am a black cricketer, and the Australian cricket team, in my opinion, is the biggest national team. It is our pride and joy, but the way I was treated and some incidents made me feel very different.”
Khawaja also addressed criticism he faced before the Perth Test for spending three days playing golf while suffering from back spasms, which prevented him from opening in both innings.
He said, “I had a back spasm that I could not control. The way the media and former players attacked me, I could have handled it for two days, but I endured it for almost five days continuously. This is the same racial mindset I grew up with. We have not completely moved past it. I have never seen such treatment towards anyone in the Australian cricket team before, especially those who commented on me.”
Usman Khawaja is the first Pakistani and Muslim player to represent Australia in cricket.
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(Daily Kiran)
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