Cricket star Usman Khawaja has described the racist treatment he received and revealed he was stopped by security THREE times this year despite playing more than 100 matches for Australia
- Usman Khawaja has detailed the racist treatment he endured while playing cricket
- Khawaja, 36, has played over 100 matches for Australia during his career
- However, he said security officials often asked if he was part of the team
Usman Khawaja has detailed the racist treatment he received in the course of his international cricket career in Australia.
Khawaja, 36, has represented his country on more than 100 occasions, scoring more than 4,000 runs. He is among the most decorated cricketers in the game.
However, the batter revealed how he was still noticed by security officials and questioned during his trip with his Australian teammates.
Usman Khawaja shares his experience of racist treatment by his police playing for Australia
Khawaja opened up on Twitter after a journalist shared how he was stopped by security at the Melbourne Cricket Ground ahead of the Boxing Day Test.
‘To all the wonderful security staff at cricket grounds around Australia. This is my fifth summer here. At some point you have to stop jumping on me, questioning my credentials, talking to me and asking each other ‘can we trust him?’, the journalist wrote on Twitter.
‘Whether you like it or not, I’m here to stay.’
The 36-year-old gave his own personal experiences in response to the original tweet.
Khawaja (left) has played more than 100 games for his country since making his debut in 2011
However, he said he was stopped by three teams in the past year by security officials
‘Use it [sic] to it,’ he posted.
‘I was stopped 3 times last year at our hotel, while in Australian Kit and asked if I was in the Australian Cricket team… #youdontlookaustralian #orsotheysay.’
Khawaja made his Australian debut in 2011, making history by becoming the first man of Pakistani heritage and of the Muslim faith, to represent the Australian men’s cricket team.
No player has scored more runs for Australia than Khawaja in 2022.
This is not the first time Khawaja has raised issues of racial profiling during his time with the national team.
In 2016, Khawaja recounted how a Queensland cricket official showed him off in the Pakistan dressing room during a Test match at the Gabba.
‘I was like, “no, I’m like that, thanks”.’
Advertisement
