UsmanKhawaja

Born in Pakistan, Usman Khawaja became the first Muslim to play for Australia when he made his Test debut in the final match of the 2010-11 Ashes, in Sydney.  

With his international career having stalled slightly following that much-hyped debut, Khawaja decided to move from New South Wales to Queensland at the start of the 2012-13 season.

Khawaja was an instrumental figure in the Sydney Thunder’s first title in KFC BBL|05, with two unbeaten centuries and 70 in the final lifting his side from perennial strugglers to best in the country.

He regained his spot in the Test side for the 2015-16 summer, and hit centuries against New Zealand (home and away) and West Indies (home). The following season his 145 against the famed South African attack scored Australia a consolation victory in the day-night Adelaide Test.

And one of his best knocks came against Pakistan in Dubai in 2018, when his marathon nine-hour, fourth-innings 141 saved the Test for Australia.

Khawaja made a late run for a spot at the 2019 ODI World Cup squad and locked in his place with scores of 104, 91 and 100 in India in consecutive innings. He was Australia's No.3 for the whole tournament but injured his hamstring and was ruled out for the semi-final against England.

Back in the Test side, Khawaja was dropped for the seventh time in his career midway through the 2019 Ashes, seemingly putting a full stop on his time in the Baggy Green.

However, Travis Head contracted Covid during the 2021-22 Ashes series, offering a lifeline for Khawaja ahead of the Sydney Test. The classy left-hander responded in the best possible way, hitting a hundred in both innings in front of his native home crowd.

What followed for the veteran was nothing short of remarkable, churning out centuries at home, in Pakistan, India and England, and being a member of the Australian XI that claimed the World Test Championship mace in June 2023.