Ashes: Veteran Usman Khawaja announces international retirement, to bid farewell at SCG

Veteran Australian batter Usman Khawaja will bring curtains down on an illustrious career in the upcoming Sydney Test in the Ashes, as announced by him on Friday (Jan 2). Khawaja, who made his debut at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the 2010-11 Ashes for the Aussies, will complete a full circle and retire from international cricket at the same ground. The upcoming final Test in the Ashes will be his 88th and last for the Baggy Greens.

Khawaja calls time on international career

“I’ve always felt a little bit different, even to now,” Khawaja said. “I’m a coloured cricketer. The Australian cricket team is our pride and joy, but I’ve felt different in the way I’ve been treated and the way things have happened. I know why I get nailed a lot of the time, and I understand that talking about issues outside cricket leaves me exposed.”

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Now 39, Khawaja has been instrumental to Australia’s success in the Test format in recent years and has served the nation well. He scored 82 in the Adelaide Test but was subsequently dropped for the Brisbane Test. When injuries later affected the Australian side, Khawaja was recalled.

The 39-year-old has played in 87 Test matches, smashing 6206 runs with a best of 232. He has also played in the ODI and T20I formats with 40 and 9 matches, respectively.

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Will Australia start 2026 on winning note?

Australia lead the five-match Ashes 3-1 and could start the calendar year on a high with a win. Australia’s fixture at the SCG will be their final red-ball match before they prepare for the T20 World Cup. Steve Smith will once again lead the side in Pat Cummins’s absence, who has been picked for the T20 World Cup 2026.