"We Are Trending In Right Direction": Usman Khawaja On Pat Cummins' Heartwarming Gesture For Him

Australia batter Usman Khawaja on Monday expressed gratitude following a heartwarming gesture by the home side after the Ashes series win. On Sunday, Australia Test skipper Pat Cummins called Khawaja back into the team huddle for a team photo after the champagne bottles were popped during the celebrations. Khawaja reacted to the video in which Cummins can be seen stopping the champagne celebrations to call back the batter.

"If this video doesn't show you that the boys have my back, I don't know what will. They stopped their normal champagne celebrations so I could rejoin. Inclusivity in the game and our values as a sport are so important. I feel like we are trending in the right direction," Khawaja tweeted.

If this video doesn't show you that the boys have my back, I don't know what will. They stopped their normal champagne celebrations so I could rejoin. Inclusivity in the game and our values as a sport are so important. I feel like we are trending in the right direction https://t.co/LrthzP9v2N

— Usman Khawaja (@Uz_Khawaja) January 17, 2022

Cummins on Monday explained his heartwarming gesture for batter Khawaja after his side won the Ashes against England.

"We've got a really diverse bunch of people and you want to celebrate that and you want to make sure everyone feels comfortable being themselves. That was just one moment," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Cummins as saying.

"The boys are fantastic in that space. They always look after each other. It's a really tight-knit group. I think one of the reasons is there is a lot of respect and love for each other. We had to make sure our teammate was in the photo with us," he added.

After Australia won the Ashes, David Warner, Marcus Harris, and Mitchell Starc had brought champagne bottles onto the stage. Khawaja noticed that he would be exposed to alcohol and as a result, he jumped down from the stage.

Khawaja was then absent from the initial photos taken with the Trophy. But then Cummins asked his teammates to put down the champagne and he welcomed Khawaja back for a team photo.

Topics mentioned in this article

Australia Cricket Team England Cricket Team Usman Khawaja The Ashes, 2021/22 Cricket