Ode to Uzzie: 'Lazy' Khawaja never hit heights of Langer or Hayden - but his legacy is sealed

When Usman Khawaja made three figures against a Sri Lanka side featuring three spin bowlers, I thought back to when we were told he couldn’t play spin. That thought led to his 141 in Dubai which led me to homework gate and a broader reflection of his career.

Whilst this article won’t cover it all, it hopes to cover a glimpse of the cricketing journey of Usman Tariq Khawaja.

Homework-gate

Whilst there are many places to start, it’s only apt we begin in India. The 2013 homework-gate saga where Khawaja was banned from the third Test for failing with ‘homework duties’ was a career-defining moment for Uzzie. As he later said, “We had the homework stuff, then I went over to England, and we lost that series again. I was struggling to find my feet, as a lot of us were”.

Homework-gate symbolised Khawaja’s career and struggles to establish himself within the Test team. It cast doubts over his commitment and work ethic, perceptions that have haunted him across his career.

Inability to play spin

One of the biggest criticisms of Khawaja was his inability to play spin. He was dropped, suspended, or not selected on five tours of the subcontinent between 2011 and 2017. Prior the tour to Dubai in 2018 the left-hander averaged 14.63 from nine innings in Asia.

He later said, “Anytime I got out to spin people were like ‘you can’t play spin’. I probably started believing it myself.”

However, like many challenges he’s overcome, his inability to play spin was no different. In October 2018, he made a match-saving 141 in Dubai against Pakistan. Khawaja spent almost 13 hours at the crease with temperatures in the high 30s. Only three Australians faced more balls in the fourth innings of a Test.

He followed it up with hundreds against Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. The only other man to score hundreds in Asia against India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka? The great Allan Border.

He now has an average of 61.80 in the subcontinent including five hundrerds and six fifties with a high score of 232. Not bad for a player we were told couldn’t play spin.

Usman the lazy cricketer

The other criticism of Khawaja throughout his career is he’s a ‘lazy cricketer’. Shane Warne once said, “It was time for him to show how much he wanted to play for Australia.” Ian Healy echoed the sentiment during the 2017 Ashes saying Khawaja “looked a bit lazy”.

This criticism hasn’t been assisted by the apathy he shows when he bats or fields. With bat in hand, when given out, he calmly turns around and returns to the pavilion. On the field, he moves with a calmness in the slips and when he drops the occasional catch doesn’t show the frustration shown by other cricketers.

Usman Khawaja is bowled by Jasprit Bumrah. (Photo by Albert Perez – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)

After his 232 against Sri Lanka, he told Daniel Cherry of Code Sports, “I was a really bad loser in tennis. Chuck my racquet, blow up, cry when I lost.

“My dad just gave me a sitting down. He’s like, ‘You kind of can’t act like this. It’s disrespectful.” He tells Cherry his control of his emotions led to selectors questioning whether Khawaja cares if he’s been given out.

The revival

Khawaja’s Test match return happened under unusual circumstances. After a dominant Shield season, Khawaja couldn’t break into the Test team for the first match against England in 2021. It took Travis Head having to get COVID-19 that allowed Khawaja into the team where he made a hundred in both innings. Since that knock, he hasn’t looked back.

His resurgence continued against Pakistan in 2022, where he dominated the two-Test series, scoring 496 runs at an average of 165.33. His unbeaten 104 in the final Test sealed Australia’s first series win in Pakistan since 1998.

The following summer, he topped the runs tally against South Africa, including a career-high 195* capping off a blistering 12 months and winning the Shane Warne Test Player of the Year award. His good form continued into the Ashes, scoring 496 runs at 49.60, including a match-winning 141 at Edgbaston and a crucial 65 in the second innings. He has since been a mainstay of the Australian Test team.

An ambassador off the field

Beyond cricket, he’s a multicultural ambassador for Cricket Australia and an advocate for human rights. In 2020, alongside Dan Christan, he condemned ongoing racism in cricket and highlighted the role of racism in the public’s perception of him as a lazy cricketer. More recently, he was sanctioned by the ICC for wearing a black armband in a test match in support of the people in Gaza.

As I reflect on Usman Khawaja’s career, I wonder where he stands as an Australian batsman. Is he simply a good player who maximised his talent, or does he belong in the conversation with Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, David Warner, and Michael Slater?

Regardless, Khawaja will be remembered for changing the public perception of his game, for being laid-back yet fiercely determined, and for proving his critics wrong time and time again. He went from being dismissed as a player who ‘couldn’t play spin’ to producing batting masterclasses on spinning decks.

No matter how many Tests he has left, we’ll cherish every innings of a cricketer who has given everything to the game.

Uzzie, we salute you.

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Ode to Uzzie: 'Lazy' Khawaja never hit heights of Langer or Hayden - but his legacy is sealed

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