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Stand-in Australia Test skipper Steve Smith threw his support behind Usman Khawaja amid the debate over his golfing sessions, after the veteran opener addressed the criticism while announcing his retirement. Khawaja discussed the racism he faced throughout his career and addressed the backlash for playing three days of golf before the Perth Ashes Test, where he later suffered back spasms and was unable to open the batting for Australia in the second innings.
Smith came out in defence of Khawaja, brushing aside the criticism around the opener’s preparation. The Aussie skipper emphasised on Khawaja’s professionalism and consistency over the years, arguing that the scrutiny linking his golf session to the Perth Test injury was misplaced and unfair.
“I’m not going into the mind of Usman Khawaja. He’s had a great career,” Smith said in a press conference. “In terms of preparation, I think he’s always prepared the same way. He’s worked hard. Some of the stuff around him getting injured when he played golf the day before the game, that was unfair,” he said.
Smith again stressed that Khawaja’s methods have served him well across a lengthy international career, arguing it was harsh to blame his preparation for a one-off injury. He made it clear that while he stood by Khawaja on that front, the rest of the opinions about the racism, he shared were personal to the opener.
“I think he’s done that for 15 years and had a pretty good career. On an odd occasion where he prepared the same way he got injured, it’s pretty unfair to single that out. To the rest of it, I can’t really say too much on that, that’s Usman’s views,” he added.
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Khawaja will step into his farewell Test at 39 with a career he can look back on with pride. In 87 matches, he has amassed 6,206 runs, including 16 hundreds and 28 fifties, averaging an impressive 43.39 across 157 innings.
Smith recalls playing against Khawaja in U17 cricket
Smith reflected on his long-standing association with Usman Khawaja, recalling first-hand impressions from their junior days in New South Wales and the traits that set the left-hander apart early in his career.
“I remember playing against him in a couple of Under-17 versus Under-19 games for New South Wales and watching him bat,” Smith said. “The way he pulled the ball, I was like, this guy picks length up quicker than anyone I’ve seen. He was pulling balls off the top of the stumps. I feel like throughout his career, he’s been batting his best when he’s been doing that as well. And just his progression over a long period of time has been outstanding,” he added.
