Born in Pakistan, Usman Khawaja moved to Australia when he was a young boy and achieved his dream of becoming the first Muslim to play for the country when he was picked for the final Ashes Test of the 2010-11 series at Sydney.
In a series that had brought plenty of gloom for Australia, Khawaja was a ray of hope. He replaced an injured and out-of-form Ricky Ponting and marked his arrival in style - pulling his second ball in Test cricket to the midwicket boundary. He made 37 and and 21 in the match but his poise, temperament and charisma was enough for him to be hailed as Australia's top-order saviour.
A fine left-handed batsman who was a national under-19 representative, Khawaja delivered on the rave reviews during his second and third seasons with New South Wales. He collected three Sheffield Shield centuries in 2009-10 in a haul of 698 runs, following a return of 554 at 42.61 the previous summer.
New South Wales were in the desperate trouble of 4 for 88 at the Gabba when Khawaja stepped in with his maiden century and he followed his 112 with 172 not out in the final game of 2008-09. Khawaja was picked for three first-class games with New South Wales in 2007-08, impressing on debut with an 85 that almost earned first-innings points. He finished the summer with a state average of 32.33 and a growing reputation, which was enhanced by 1134 runs for the Randwick Petersham club. While cricket is his love, Khawaja is also a qualified pilot.
Usman Khawaja | Australia Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo
