Usman Khawaja's Farewell Turns Emotional As England Make Big Gesture - Watch
Australian cricket team opener Usman Khawaja received a guard of honour from the England players as he walked out to bat for the last time in international cricket.
Australian cricket team opener Usman Khawaja received a guard of honour from the England players as he walked out to bat for the last time in international cricket. Khawaja came out to bat on Day 5 of the fifth Ashes Test match against England following the dismissal of Steve Smith. Cheers erupted in the stands as the England players gave him a guard of honour; he shook hands with England captain Ben Stokes before joining Marnus Labuschagne at the crease. Khawaja was dismissed for 6, and as he was leaving the field, he knelt down to kiss the ground and waved toward the crowd.
A classy touch from Ben Stokes and the English team as Usman Khawaja walks out to the crease for the final time in his Test career
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Australia won the fifth Test match by 5 wickets and clinched the Ashes series 4-1
Speaking to the broadcasters after Australia's win, Khawaja expressed gratitude to have won the final game of his career and to have gotten the opportunity to celebrate with his teammates.
"It means a lot. So much has gone into it, so long. It's funny, the game of cricket is so great. And I said to Rach this morning, she was like, just enjoy it. The only thing I wanted was to win. Finish off the Ashes with a win. I'd love nothing more. As much as I wanted to go out there and score runs and hit the winning runs, I'm just grateful for one last final win and celebrate with my teammates.”
Khawaja's scores in his final game weren't ideal, as he registered figures of 17 and 6 in the two innings, batting in the middle order. The 39-year-old stated that he found it hard to concentrate, with his emotions being all over the place.
Speaking about how he controlled himself, Khawaja said, "It was very tough. I was trying to act cool, but in the intense Test match, I found it really hard to control my emotions.”
“I've prided myself on being able to control my emotions my whole career. I haven't given away too much to the opposition or to anyone. I found it really hard to concentrate a lot. Even in the first innings, I found it hard to get into rhythm. And even today, it was... my whole career, particularly the last end of the career has been built on process, process, process.
"It's just so hard to go out there and concentrate. But I'm glad we got the win, got over the line. And it's something I'll cherish for the rest of my life, being able to finish here at the SCG,” he added.
(With IANS inputs)
Australia Cricket Team
England Cricket Team
Usman Khawaja