Usman Khawaja says playing in Pakistan is ‘special’ for him
Australian batsman spoke ahead of upcoming tour of Pakistan, saying it will be "special" to play in the country he was born in.
Australian star batsman Usman Khawaja has spoken ahead of the upcoming tour of Pakistan, saying it will be “special” to play in the country he was born in.
A video shared by Cricket Australia on its Twitter account in which Usman Khawaja recalled his connection with Pakistan. He said that it will be special to play in the country he was born in.
“I’ve still got a lot of family in Karachi. I was obviously born there, so it’ll be a nice, special moment, to go over there and tick the last (part of the) subcontinent off. I think it will be great for Australian cricket too.”
“I think the last time we went over there is when Tubby (Mark Taylor) got his 334 it seems like so long ago. So, I think there’s a lot of positives, not just for myself, but for everyone going on that tour. (My wife and I) even had a conversation about what happens if I have a baby mid Test match. She is very understanding.”
“She knows, you know, I love playing cricket. It’s very important to me. She’s been very supportive of that. She knows I try to support her in any way I can. But fingers crossed she doesn’t have a baby while I’m away.”
“But if she does, we’ll cross that bridge when I get there. But no, for me, I was always going to go, maybe for the first one. You might think about, but I’ve had one.” Laughing out loud, he asked the interview not to ‘play that part’ of his statement.
Speaking ahead of the upcoming tour of Pakistan, Usman Khawaja says it will be “special” to play in the country he was born in. pic.twitter.com/FBnDmXsRTJ
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) February 8, 2022
Australia had named an 18-man squad for the historic Pakistan tour which will be their first visit in nearly 25 years and Kangaroos’ first overseas Test tour in almost three years.
With the addition of Ashton Agar from the group of players that won the Ashes, the 18-man Australian squad include Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith (vc), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson and David Warner.
Our 18-player Test squad for the Qantas tour of Pakistan! 🔒
The Test playing contingent and staff are due to depart for Pakistan later this month while white ball players, to be announced separately, will join mid-tour for the ODI and T20I matches. pic.twitter.com/7RM0HwKygq
— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) February 7, 2022
The touring nation will also announce its squads for limited-overs matches including three ODIs and one T20I. Prior to the Pakistan tour, Australian officials conducted thorough security assessments.
