Tag: Ashes 2025

SYDNEY: Australian opener Usman Khawaja has spoken candidly about the “racial stereotyping” he says followed him throughout his 15-year international career, as he announced his impending retirement from Test cricket.

Khawaja revealed on Friday, during a press conference, that the upcoming fifth Ashes Test in Sydney will be his final appearance in Australian colours.

The 39-year-old used the occasion to reflect on the challenges he faced as Australia’s first Muslim Test cricketer and one of the few players of South Asian heritage to represent the country at the highest level.

“I’m very lucky to have played so many games for Australia the way I have,” Khawaja said. “I hope I have inspired people along the way.”

Born in Islamabad and raised in Australia from a young age, Khawaja said he was once told he would never represent Australia, let alone enjoy a long Test career.

“I’m a proud Muslim, coloured boy from Pakistan who was told that he would never play for the Australian cricket team,” he said. “Look at me now, and you can do the same.”

Usman Khawaja acknowledged that his willingness to speak out on social and political issues had often made him a target of criticism, but insisted that remaining silent was never an option.

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“I call myself the people’s champ, not because I think everyone loves me, but because I speak about things for the people that other people don’t want to speak about,” he said.

He also addressed the backlash he has faced when raising concerns about race, suggesting that discussions around discrimination are frequently dismissed or trivialised.

“I know why I get nailed a lot of the time. I understand that I’ve talked about certain issues outside of cricket, which leaves me exposed, and a lot of people don’t like it,” Khawaja said.

“I know I’m here talking about topics and people will say, ‘Uzzie’s here, he’s playing the race card again.’ Don’t gaslight me. This stuff happens all the time, we see it, and we just don’t talk about it.”

Usman Khawaja stressed that his aim was not to seek sympathy, but to make the path easier for future cricketers from diverse backgrounds.

“I didn’t want to talk about this, but I just want the journey for the next Usman Khawaja to be different,” he said. “I want him or her to be treated the same, not have racial stereotypes over who they might be.”

In 2023, Khawaja was charged by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for wearing a black armband during Australia’s first Test against Pakistan, a gesture he said was intended to show solidarity with the people of Gaza.

READ: Confident Usman eyes World Cup glory under Mike Hesson

 

Australia opener Usman Khawaja has announced that the ongoing Ashes series will be his last in international cricket, with the left-hander set to retire after the final Test in Sydney, bringing the curtain down on a career that began at the same venue.

If selected, the 39-year-old will feature in his 88th Test when Australia take the field at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Sunday, marking a full-circle moment in a journey that started with his Test debut against England in 2011.

Khawaja also leaves behind a significant legacy as Australia’s first Muslim men’s Test cricketer.

Speaking at the SCG with his family present, Khawaja admitted the decision had been forming for some time.

“I’ve been thinking about it, not wholly, but for a while,” Khawaja said. “Moving into this series, I kind of had an inkling in my head that this would be the last series.”

Khawaja revealed that discussions with his wife, Rachel, and head coach Andrew McDonald played a key role in shaping his decision.

He also acknowledged that being left out earlier in the series, particularly ahead of the Adelaide Test, was a moment that clarified his thinking and reinforced that it was time to move on.

“I’m glad I get to leave on my own terms, with a little bit of dignity, and go out at the SCG where I love,” he said.

“But I think the start of the series was a pretty tough time. Then going into Adelaide and not being picked initially for the game, that was probably a sign for me to say, ‘all right, it’s time to move on.'”

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The veteran opener said he had contemplated retirement at various stages over the past two years and had even spoken to McDonald about potentially finishing after last summer’s Boxing Day Test against India.

He stressed that he never wanted to overstay his welcome and was prepared to step aside whenever the team felt it was necessary.

Despite external criticism suggesting he was holding on for personal reasons, Usman Khawaja maintained that he continued playing only because the team management wanted him to.

“Andrew McDonald practically said, No, I want you to stay. We need you for Sri Lanka and the World Test Championship. I want you to stay on. And so I did,” he added.

While his international career is nearing its end, Khawaja confirmed he will continue to play domestic cricket.

He is set to remain available for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League and hopes to turn out for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield later in the season.

Khawaja has so far scored 6206 runs in 87 Test matches, including 16 centuries and 28 half-centuries, at an average of 43.39. His highest score of 232 came against Sri Lanka last year.

In addition to his red-ball exploits, he represented Australia in 40 ODIs, scoring 1,554 runs at an average of 42, and played nine T20Is, tallying 241 runs at a strike rate of 132.41.

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The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) has been rated ‘unsatisfactory’ by the International Cricket Council (ICC) following the conclusion of the fourth Ashes Test, with the iconic venue receiving one demerit point under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process.

The assessment was delivered by Emirates ICC Elite Panel match referee Jeff Crowe, who pointed to the extreme imbalance between bat and ball as the key factor behind the decision.

According to Crowe, the surface offered excessive assistance to bowlers throughout the match, resulting in a rapid collapse of innings on both sides.

“The MCG pitch was heavily in favour of the bowlers. With 20 wickets falling on the first day, 16 on the second, and no batter reaching a half-century, the pitch was deemed ‘Unsatisfactory’ under ICC guidelines,” Crowe explained.

The match statistics reflected those concerns. England, after winning the toss, opted to bowl first and made immediate inroads.

Josh Tongue spearheaded the attack with a superb spell of 5 for 45, as Australia were skittled for 152 in their first innings.

Batting proved just as treacherous for England, who were bundled out for 110 inside 30 overs, despite the modest total on offer.

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Australia were then forced to bat again on the opening day itself, but the struggles continued, with the hosts managing only 132 in their second innings. Travis Head’s 46 stood out as the highest individual score of the match.

England eventually chased down the target in 32.2 overs, losing six wickets in the process, with Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell making valuable contributions in testing conditions.

The fourth Ashes Test concluded in just two days, with a staggering 36 wickets falling across 142 overs and no batter managing to register a half-century, a rare occurrence at one of cricket’s most celebrated venues.

Despite the defeat, Australia had already retained the Ashes, having taken an unassailable 3–0 lead by winning the opening three Tests.

For England, the victory marked their first Test win on Australian soil since 2011, providing a rare highlight in an otherwise difficult tour.

The series will wrap up with the fifth and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, scheduled to begin on January 4.

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Veteran England batter Joe Root has said it would be “silly” to change the team management after losing the Ashes, with players “absolutely committed” to the current set-up.

England meekly surrendered the famous urn after just 11 days of play with back-to-back eight-wicket defeats in Perth and Brisbane and an 82-run loss at Adelaide.

Their capitulation was compounded by criticism of their low-key preparations and allegations of excessive drinking during a mid-series beach break in Noosa.

The team restored some pride with a frantic four-wicket win in Melbourne, snapping an 18-match winless streak on Australian soil.

It relieved pressure on coach Brendon McCullum, skipper Ben Stokes and cricket chief Rob Key, who have all indicated they want to stay in their roles.

“In terms of the playing group, we’re absolutely committed to the management,” Root, England’s all-time leading Test run-scorer and a former captain, told English media in Melbourne.

“Yes, we can be better, and there are certain areas that we’ll continue to keep working at, but the management works extremely hard.

“They might do things in a slightly different way, but I think we’ve made great strides as a group, and a big reason for it is because of the guys we have behind us.”

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Management’s case to stay on would be strengthened by another win in the fifth Test in Sydney starting Sunday.

Joe Root was captain on England’s last tour of Australia in 2021-22 when they were crushed 4-0, costing coach Chris Silverwood and cricket director Ashley Giles their jobs.

But Root said a lot of progress had been made since under the current regime.

“You look at the group of players we’ve got, and you look at the guys that were involved in the team when I was captain, four years ago, and you look at their records individually, and every single one of them has improved as a player,” he said.

“This team has improved. I think it would be silly (to consider change) for the amount of hard work and things that have been done.”

Victory in Melbourne was Root’s first in Australia in more than a decade of trying, and he said it “would be better if we win next week as well”.

“If we can build on it and do it again next time, it’s momentum in the right direction for the next tour here (in 2029-30),” he added.

READ: Injured England pacer ruled out of fifth Ashes Test in Sydney

England pace spearhead Gus Atkinson was, on Monday, ruled out of the fifth and final Ashes Test against Australia, scheduled to be played in Sydney, with a hamstring injury.

The Surrey right-armer hobbled off early on day two of the fourth Test in Melbourne, clutching his left leg and taking no further part in the game.

“Gus Atkinson has been ruled out for the remainder of the Ashes tour after scans confirmed he has sustained a left hamstring injury,” the England Cricket Board (ECB) said.

With one Test remaining in Sydney, scheduled to begin on January 4, England has decided not to bring in a replacement player.

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This decision paves the way for either Matthew Potts or Matthew Fisher, both of whom are in the squad but have yet to feature in any game.

Notably, Gus Atkinson is the third England quick to be sidelined after Mark Wood (knee) and Jofra Archer (side strain), leaving Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue and Ben Stokes to shoulder the attack.

England are 3-1 down ahead of the Sydney Test starting on Sunday.

They suffered back-to-back eight-wicket defeats in Perth and Brisbane and an 82-run loss at Adelaide before bouncing back to clinch a four-wicket win in Melbourne.

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MELBOURNE: The curator of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) Matt Page said he was left shocked and disappointed after the fourth Ashes Test ended inside two days.

With the series already done and dusted, the fourth Test — like the first Test also concluded within two days as England managed to register their win in Australia since 2011.

Following the result, former and current cricketers criticised the pitch behaviour and called for a better balance between bat and ball.

Page admitted that he was disappointed with the outcome of the Boxing Day Test, which drew a record crowd on the opening day, but failed to last beyond two days.

“I was in a state of shock after the first day, to see everything that happened, 20 wickets in a day,” he said. “I’ve never been involved in a Test match like it, and hopefully never involved in a Test match like it again.

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Reflecting on the pitch conditions in th recent years, Page reiterated the need to strike a balance between batters and bowlers.

“Every year is different and the margins are very small, but in the back of your mind, you’re always trying to provide that contest. We’re about trying to provide captivating Test cricket, that balance between bat and ball going four or five days,” he remarked.

“We’ve produced a Test that’s been captivating, but it hasn’t gone long enough, and we’ll take ownership of that. We’ll learn from it, we’ll grow, and we’ll make sure that we’ll get it right next year,” he added.

The curator also recalled the 2017 flat deck and stressed the importance of seam movement to avoid lifeless pitches.

“We don’t want to go back to where we were in 2017,” he said, referring to the Test in which former English skipper Alastair Cook scored an unbeaten 244.

“If we don’t have seam movement here at the MCG, we become very dull, very lifeless and very flat, which is no good for the players, no good for the spectators, and no good for the game,” Matt Page concluded.

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MELBOURNE: Captain Steve Smith said Saturday that Australia had left themselves 60 runs short and could have taken a more aggressive batting approach, after they lost the fourth Test against England for a first home Ashes defeat in 15 years.

England came out on top of a seesawing contest at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), played on a grassy, bowler-friendly deck that made batting treacherous and was all over inside two days.

After being dismissed for 152 in their first innings, Australia managed only 132 in their second to leave England with 175 to chase for victory.

They got over the line with four wickets to spare.

“Obviously, a very quick game,” Smith said. “I think if we got 50 or 60 more runs across both innings, we might have been there at the end, but credit to England.”

“They came out today and fought really well this morning, didn’t let us get away.”

The victory ended England’s 18-match Test winless streak on Australian soil, with an aggressive approach to the run chase by Ben Stokes’s men paying off.

Ben Duckett and Harry Brook, in particular, reverted to the ultra-attacking “Bazball” style pioneered by coach Brendon McCullum and skipper Stokes.

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Steve Smith said it was something Australia would review in the wash-up.

“I think the guy with the most success on that wicket was probably Harry Brook, running down the wicket, playing some kind of rogue shots, I suppose, and trying to get the bowlers off their lengths that way,” he said.

“You know, whether we could have been a bit more proactive, potentially, and played a few more of those. That’s something we’ll talk about.

“But in the end, it’s also tricky to do that. You want to try and dig in for your team sometimes.

“You have to weigh up whether you should have gone harder, or you should have reined it in. And everyone’s different the way they go about it as well.”

Australia had already retained the Ashes after eight-wicket wins in Perth and Brisbane and an 82-run victory at Adelaide.

“We’d love to win every game and keep every streak going,” Smith said of England snapping their long winless record in Australia.

“But England played really well today. We probably controlled the first half of the game, all yesterday, and then they came back into play today and took the game away from us.”

Australia lead the series 3-1 with the fifth and final Test starting in Sydney on January 4.

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MELBOURNE: A fighting England won their first Test in Australia since 2011 on Saturday, restoring their battered pride with a gutsy four-wicket victory to clinch a chaotic fourth Ashes clash that was all over inside two days.

The pumped-up tourists dismissed Australia for 132 soon after lunch in front of a bumper 92,045 crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), following the 20 wickets that tumbled on day one.

It left them chasing 175 to win, with Harry Brook (18) and Jamie Smith (three) seeing them home for the loss of six wickets to huge roars from their travelling “Barmy Army” of fans. Jacob Bethell contributed 40 and Zak Crawley 37.

England crashed in the first three Tests and arrived in Melbourne under enormous pressure, amid questions about their limited preparations and allegations of excessive drinking during a mid-series beach break.

But they finally came good and will head to Sydney for the fifth and final Test, brimming with confidence.

England had not won a Test in Australia since January 2011 at Sydney, losing 16 and drawing two since, and openers Crawley and Ben Duckett had a clear objective to snap the streak, play ultra-aggressive “Bazball” style.

Duckett hit a boundary off Mitchell Starc in his first over, while Crawley slammed Michael Neser for a six and a four in successive balls.

They brought up a whirlwind fifty opening partnership, but next ball, Duckett was bowled by a Starc yorker for 34.

Fast bowler Brydon Carse then strode to the middle as a surprise number three in place of Bethell.

But England’s pinch-hitting experiment failed as Carse lasted only eight balls before skying Jhye Richardson to Cameron Green.

Crawley fell lbw to Scott Boland after a gritty knock, and Bethell was caught by Usman Khawaja from the same bowler.

Richardson trapped Joe Root (15) lbw, and Starc accounted for Ben Stokes (2), but by then only 10 runs were needed, and Brook and Smith completed the job.

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Australia resumed on 4-0 in their second innings after an explosive opening day of searing pace saw 20 wickets fall with the hosts dismissed for 152 and England just 110.

It was the most wickets to tumble on the first day of an Ashes Test since 1909, and eclipsed the 19 on day one of the series opener in Perth.

With 10 millimetres of grass on the track, it was a bowler’s dream, but a host of former greats criticised the pitch for “doing too much” and being “unfair for the batters”.

Nightwatchman Boland added two to his overnight four, but his time was always going to be limited, and he edged Gus Atkinson to wicketkeeper Smith.

Atkinson left the field soon after clutching what appeared to be his left hamstring.

Josh Tongue came into the attack on a hat-trick after bagging the last two Australia wickets on day one, but Jake Weatherald whipped his full ball for three.

Weatherald needed a decent knock to cement his spot at the top of the order, but he failed again, bowled by Stokes for five, leaving a delivery that nipped back.

Travis Head was joined by Marnus Labuschagne, but he only made eight, caught by Root in the slips off Tongue.

Head was in good touch before being bowled on 46 by a peach of a delivery from Carse that beat the outside edge, and when Khawaja (0) and Alex Carey (4) departed in the space of nine balls, the momentum was back with England.

After reaching lunch at 98-6, Green (19) became the seventh wicket to fall with the score on 119, edging a rising Stokes ball to Harry Brook at slip.

Carse bagged Neser and Starc without scoring, and Richardson fell to Stokes with the last four wickets tumbling for 13 runs, leaving Steve Smith unbeaten on 24.

READ: Short Tests are bad for business: Cricket Australia boss after MCG carnage

Cricket Australia (CA) chief Todd Greenberg stated on Saturday that short Tests were detrimental to the game’s business, as some of the biggest names in the sport criticised the state of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) pitch.

Twenty wickets tumbled on day one of the fourth Test between Australia and England on Friday, with the hosts dismissed for 152 and the tourists just 110.

Six more fell on the second morning with Australia 98-6 at lunch, meaning 26 wickets had fallen in 98 overs and four sessions.

It was the most wickets to fall on the first day of an Ashes Test since 1909, and came on the back of 19 wickets being taken on day one of the series opener in Perth.

The Perth Test ended in two days, costing Cricket Australia (CA) millions of dollars in lost revenue, with Melbourne also shaping as a major dent to the governing body’s finances.

“I didn’t sleep well last night, put it that way,” Greenberg said on SEN radio after more than 94,000 packed into the MCG for Friday’s first day.

“It was an amazing day of Test cricket, so for that record number of people who were here, boy, they’ve had an experience.

“But our challenge is to make sure we can continue those experiences day after day. That’s the challenge for all of us.”

The Melbourne pitch was prepared with 10 millimetres of grass on the wicket, making it heavily favourable for the bowlers with plenty of movement and bounce under overcast skies.

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Greenberg said a trend towards shorter Test matches was not in Cricket Australia’s interest.

“A simple phrase I’d use is short Tests are bad for business. I can’t be much more blunt than that,” he said. “So I would like to see a slightly broader balance between the bat and the ball.”

A host of former greats have been critical of the Melbourne pitch, with former England captain Michael Vaughan on Saturday calling it “a joke”.

“This is selling the game short,” he added, while another ex-England skipper, Alastair Cook, branded it “an unfair contest”.

Curators in Australia are traditionally independent when it comes to preparing pitches, both from captains and Cricket Australia.

Todd Greenberg suggested a more interventionist approach might be needed.

“It’s hard not to get more involved when you see the impact on the sport, especially commercially, he said.

“I’m not suggesting I’ll go around talking to ground staff, but we do have to have a careful eye on what our expectations are over the course of a summer.”

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England pacer Josh Tongue became the first English bowler in the 21st century to claim a five-wicket haul at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday during the Boxing Day Ashes Test.

Tongue ripped through Australia’s batting line-up with career-best figures of 5 for 45, as the hosts were skittled for just 152 in their first innings on the opening day of the fourth Ashes Test.

The achievement ended a 27-year drought for England at the MCG, with the last five-for at the ground coming in 1998 through Darren Gough and Dean Headley.

After England captain Ben Stokes opted to bowl on a visibly green surface, Josh Tongue led a relentless seam attack that made full use of the conditions.

The right-arm quick consistently found movement off the pitch, troubling Australia’s batters from the outset and keeping England firmly on top through the first two sessions.

Tongue’s effort marked his most productive spell in Test cricket, eclipsing his previous best of 5 for 66 against Ireland at Lord’s in 2023.

He came close to an even rarer feat late in the innings, finishing Australia’s first dig on a hat-trick after removing Michael Neser and Scott Boland with successive deliveries.

Australia struggled to build any meaningful partnerships, with Neser, recalled in place of captain Pat Cummins, top-scoring with 35.

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Usman Khawaja was the only other batter to offer some resistance, making 29 at the top of the order.

The home side’s troubles began early as Travis Head and Jake Weatherald were dismissed cheaply, while Steve Smith’s stay was short-lived as he was bowled for nine.

England maintained the pressure after lunch, with Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse chipping in with key breakthroughs to ensure Australia never recovered from the early damage.

However, the match swung sharply after tea as Australia hit back with the ball. England’s batting line-up collapsed to 110 in just 29.5 overs, handing the hosts a first-innings lead of 42 runs despite Tongue’s earlier heroics.

Neser capped off a strong all-round showing by leading Australia’s bowling attack with figures of 4 for 45 from 10 overs.

Scott Boland claimed three wickets, while Mitchell Starc supported well with two scalps on a pitch that continued to assist the seamers.

Harry Brook was the lone bright spot for England with an attacking 41 off 38 deliveries, while Atkinson added a valuable 28 from the lower order to push the total past the 100-run mark.

By stumps on day one, Australia had reached 4 without loss in a brief second-innings burst, extending their overall advantage to 46 runs.

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