Australian legend Jason Gillespie questioned Usman Khawaja's claims of racial stereotyping. Khawaja claimed that he was personally attacked by pundits and the media for suffering an injury during the Perth Test.
Australian legend Jason Gillespie questioned the racial stereotyping allegations made by Usman Khawaja during his retirement press conference. Khawaja announced that he would be stepping away from the sport after the SCG Test against England, which is scheduled to begin on January 4.
Speaking to reporters for nearly 50 minutes, Khawaja said he has felt singled out across different stages of his career, from his early days to the present. He claimed that certain sections of the media and the wider cricket fraternity have taken aim at him due to his identity and his willingness to voice strong opinions, especially on right-wing politics and the Palestinian cause. He also pointed out that he was treated unfairly by large section of the media, after suffering back spasms during the Perth Test, which meant he couldn't come out to bat at the top.
Khawaja had taken part in a golf tournament on the eve of the match, which was criticised by fans and the media. However, Gillespie took to X to say that the questions were legitimate and the England team were also criticised for the way they prepared for the Ashes.
"I respect Usman and have really enjoyed his career, love how he speaks his mind. I felt the questions re his preparation before Perth (where he played a lot of golf and ended up with back spasms) were legitimate. England have been questioned about their prep too," said Gillespie on X.
WHAT KHAWAJA SAID ABOUT HIS COMMENTS ON PREPARATION
Khawaja said that he felt that the attack from the media felt personal and was deeply hurt by them.
“The way—not you specifically—but the way the media and past players came out and attacked me I could have copped it for two days, but I copped it for about five days straight. And it wasn’t even about my performances. It was about something very personal."
“It was about my preparation. The way everyone came at me about my preparation was deeply personal. Things like: He’s not committed to the team. He’s only worried about himself. He played this golf comp the day before—he’s selfish. He doesn’t train hard enough. He didn’t train the day before the game. He’s lazy,” said Khawaja.
The Australian opener will end his career after playing 88 Tests, 40 ODIs and 9 T20Is for the Aussies during his career.
