Cricket australia free#

'I struggled as a young kid to support Australia because I just didn't see any connection between myself and the Australian cricket team,' he said. Those adolescent observations were made as Khawaja was belatedly falling in love with the Australian men's teams. So that was probably the first insight I got - hold the phone, there's something different going one here, I think I'm a little bit different here.' 'I realised there were less and less people who looked like me and how predominantly white the game was. 'You could just see it dwindling, dwindling, dwindling. 'It wasn't until you started getting higher, higher, higher, higher, higher where you could probably stop seeing that,' he said. Multiculturalism was all around him, except when he began qualifying for representative cricket teams. The Khawaja family moved from the city to Parramatta as young Usman began excelling in sport. I still have very fond memories of that time.'ДЄs Usman got older, he began focusingВ more on cricket as his main sport. We lived at Centennial Park in a little crappy apartment, I think it was a two-bedroom apartment for the five of us, so we were all crammed in, but I don't know any different.

'В my parents moved to Australia, it was very different for them,' he said. Khawaja was born in Islamabad, Pakistan in 1986, and his family moved to Sydney when he was four. When we start seeing that, I think you know you've made some good inroads.' Khawaja the trailblazer I don't want them to feel like they can't get involved in that either. I love the Australian cricket team andВ I really want them to feel the same way. really hurts me the most is when I hear someone from the subcontinent or either second or third generationВ - who do you support? And they're like, 'Oh yeah we support India or Pakistan. 'I think that's one thing I'd love to see slowly change. 'Because we're such a diverse country, so many different, beautiful backgrounds, different cultures, and cricket for a long time has been straight down the line - this way. Now he's ready to talk about race and how Cricket Australia needs to change to embrace all people.

Cricket australia free#

He's also a young father and is in charge of a charityВ foundation that gives free cricket clinics to disadvantaged children. ( Instagram: Usman Khawaja)ДЄ fortnight before his 35th birthday, the Queensland captain ranks cricket as just one of his devotions. Usman holding his sporting trophies while sitting next to his mum, Fozia.