Usman Khawaja is one of Australia’s modern cricketing greats. Born in Islamabad, Pakistan, and raised in south-west Sydney, he grew up loving a game in which he struggled to see himself reflected. In January 2011, he made history, becoming the first Muslim to wear the baggy green when he debuted against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Nothing about his career came easily. Dropped eight times – making him one of the most dropped batsmen in Test cricket history – he spent years fighting perceptions, selection calls and quiet prejudices. His answer was one of the game’s great comeback stories. Recalled in January 2022 after more than two years in the wilderness, Usman marked his return with twin centuries at the SCG and produced the most prolific period of his career – hundreds at home, in Pakistan, India and England, a World Test Championship title in 2023, and honours as both ICC Test Cricketer of the Year and Australia’s Test Player of the Year.
In the final years of his career, Usman became as significant off the field as on it. A proud champion of multiculturalism and a voice for everyday Australians who rarely saw themselves in the national team, in 2023 he took his biggest stand for the children of Gaza – with ‘all lives are equal’ written on his shoes, and the very public battle with cricket’s governing body over his right to wear them. In a world where athletes are told to stay silent, Usman spoke – and became a global symbol of conscience in sport.
Usman retired from international cricket in January 2026, fittingly at the SCG where it all began, with a record of 6229 runs and 16 centuries from 88 Tests. A qualified pilot and lifelong advocate for a more inclusive game, he lives in Brisbane with his family. This is his first book – a sporting memoir where every word is his own.
