Usman Khawaja Retirement: Australian opener Usman Khawaja on Friday, January 2, 2026, decided to call off his time in international cricket. The left-handed batter confirmed that the upcoming fifth and final Ashes 2025 test against England would be his last game in international cricket. The announcement of his retirement was made during a press conference with his family on side. He also informed about the decision of his to teammates on friday.
Usman Khawaja Retirement
The 39-year-old made his test debut in the year 2011, and the Sydney test would mark his 88th match in the longest format for Australia. He was also part of the team’s World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 winning squad. It is to be noted that he is the first Pakistan-born cricketer to play for Australia and also the first Muslim player to represent the country, and he also played 49 ODIs for the team.
Usman Khawaja Cricket Career
So far, Khawaja as smashed over 8000 international runs across all formats while playing 87 tests, 40 ODIs, and nine T20Is. In 2023 he was named as the Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year.
On Friday Khawaja told reporters that,
“I’m here to announce today that I will be retiring from all international cricket after the SCG Test match. God, through cricket, has given me far more than I could have imagined. He’s given me memories I’ll carry forever, friendship that goes well beyond the game, and lessons that shaped me into who I am off the field.”
Further, he said,
“But no career belongs to one person. I obviously had a lot of help. To my parents, thank you for your sacrifices that never made the highlight reel.”
The Australian batter will be ending his career in his hometown of Sydney, where he made his debut against England in 2011. This ground also saw Khawaja hitting his twin centuries against England in 2022 at the time of Covid.
He said,
“Funnily enough, I live just up the road from the SCG, on Cook Road, to be exact.”
“And as a boy whose parents were barely scraping through in trying to provide for their kids in a little two-bedroom apartment, I thought, ‘One day, I’m going to be a test cricketer.'”
Talking about the ongoing Ashes 2025, the Aussies have already clinched the series to their name, as they are leading in the series by 3-1. Now both the teams are all set to feature in the fifth and final test of the Ashes, which is going to be played from January 4 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
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