Veteran Australian batter Usman Khawaja has announced his retirement from international cricket after the upcoming fifth Ashes test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The Pakistan-born cricketer expressed his hope that his long test career inspires young players to follow a different path and realize that playing cricket for Australia is achievable.
The top-order batsman, who turned 39 last month, shared this news on Friday, January 2, 2026. He will retire from international cricket after his 88th test, which begins on Sunday, January 4, 2026.
Usman Khawaja made debut at Final Ashes Test at SCG
Khawaja made his test debut at the same ground during the final match of the 2010-11 Ashes series. Since then, he has scored 6,206 runs at an average of 43.39, including 16 centuries.
At the press conference, he said, “I just want the journey for the next Usman Khawaja to be different. I want you to treat him the same, not have racial stereotypes of who they might be.”
Usman Khawaja confirmed his retirement on January 2, 2026. He will step away from Tests after the last Ashes Test in Sydney on January 4, 2026.
Retire from international cricket
Usman Khawaja was accompanied by his wife Rachel and daughters Aisha and Ayla when he announced his retirement from international cricket following the final Ashes test against England in Sydney on January 2, 2026.
Khawaja became the first Muslim and the first Pakistani-born Australian to play Test cricket for Australia. He is also only the seventh foreign-born cricketer to achieve this in the last 80 years.
For much of his test career, Khawaja batted at the top of the middle order. However, he lost his spot during the 2021-22 Ashes series to Marnus Labuschagne. He was called up last minute when Travis Head tested positive for COVID before the Sydney test. Khawaja revived his career with centuries in both innings. After that, he moved up to form a successful opening partnership with David Warner, who retired from Test cricket after the SCG test two years ago.
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