After a 15-year international career, Usman Khawaja confirmed the Sydney Ashes Test will be his final time wearing the Baggy Green
Usman Khawaja will play his 88th and final Test in the city he grew up in as the veteran batter today confirmed he will retire following the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney.
With his extended family in the room including his parents, wife Rachel and two children, Khawaja fronted the press on Friday morning at the Sydney Cricket Ground to announce his exit from international cricket, having informed his Australia teammates only moments earlier ahead of their training session two days out from the series finale against England.
The left-hander had kept his playing future under wraps coming into the summer, but the oldest member of Australia’s Test side has now called time on his career a fortnight after celebrating his 39th birthday.
It will see Khawaja get a traditional Sydney swansong in the final Test of the summer. He bows out as one of Australia’s most prolific run-scorers; 30 more in his farewell Test will see him pass Michael Hussey’s tally of 6,235 into 14th among Australian men.
Khawaja also leaves a legacy as one of the game’s most important players off the field. As the country’s first Muslim Test cricketer, he has been a plain-spoken advocate for eliminating racism and providing better pathways for Australians with south-Asian heritage.
The SCG provides a fitting farewell venue. Born in Islamabad before his family emigrated to Sydney when he was a child, he watched games at the historic ground as a child before making both his first-class (in 2008) and Test (in 2011) debuts there.
In addition to ending his long-form career as one of only 18 Australians to have scored more than 15 Test tons (his current tally is 16), he also finishes up with 49 limited-overs caps to his name and two ODI hundreds.
Usman Khawaja Career Stats
Tests 87* | Runs 6206 | Avg 43.39 | High 232 | 100s 16 | 50s 28
ODIs 40 | Runs 1554 | Avg 42.00 | High 104 | 100s 2 | 50s 12 | SR 84.09
T20s 9 | Runs 241 | Avg 26.77 | SR 132.41 | 50s 1
More to come
2025-26 NRMA Insurance Men’s Ashes
First Test: Australia won by eight wickets
Second Test: Australia won by eight wickets
Third Test: Australia won by 82 runs
Fourth Test: England won by four wickets
Fifth Test: January 4-8: SCG, Sydney, 10:30am AEDT
Australia squad: Steve Smith (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster
England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Harry Brook (vc), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue
