‘One of the great stories’: Khawaja inspiring a generation as Pakistan-born star hits century at ‘home’

On the eve of Australia’s historic series getting underway in Pakistan, Usman Khawaja spoke about fate.

With the Pakistan-born batsman returning home for the first time in a decade and set to play his maiden Test in the country, the focus was naturally all on him.

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Khawaja gets 100! | 00:56

Khawaja though, just as he has played out in the middle with such effortless grace for more than a decade, played down its significance.

“The fact that I’m playing Pakistan is special, don’t get me wrong, it’s special, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” he said.

“I grew up down the road, so there is that bit of sentiment definitely, but when the game starts you don’t really think about that stuff. You’re more worried about the ball coming down - the Test match happens like that (clicking his fingers). 

“I’m sure when I look back on it and think that’s pretty cool - the first tour of Pakistan after so many years, being born in Pakistan, as fate would have it, everything’s worked out beautifully, touch wood.”

Everything has indeed.

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A year ago he was not in the Australian team and the chances of a recall seemed unlikely despite leading Queensland to a Sheffield Shield title and churning out centuries.

It seemed too that despite Australia coasting to an Ashes whitewash, Khawaja would not get the chance to make a return.

By luck or fate, Khawaja was called in when Travis Head, the man who beat Khawaja for a place in the middle order, was forced to withdraw after testing positive to COVID-19.

Khawaja did not need another chance, as he registered twin centuries.

Head returned to the middle-order for the fifth and final Test in Hobart, while Khawaja shifted up to the top of the order in place for Marcus Harris.

The shift up the order did not immediately pay off, but Khawaja was not moved.

Not from the top of the order and not with his temperament.

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On arrival in Islamabad, Khawaja spoke of finding his happy medium batting in the subcontinent.

He has “listened” to others over the years, but it was only when he took the “onus” on himself that he found his feet on the dry, slow wickets of the subcontinent.

Just days after falling just short of a famous century at Rawalpindi, Khawaja did not waste his second start.

From the moment he walked to the crease in Karachi the left-hander looked in control. The stats showed he hit 81 per cent of balls out of the middle of his bat by the time he registered three figures.

He had rhythm to his innings and found the middle of the bit through a series of clips of his pads, sweeps down on one-knee and caramel smooth drives down the ground.

“That is just a victory for timing as much as anything else from Khawaja,” former England batter Rob Key said. 

“In both games it looks like he’s batting on a different plane to anyone else.”

It was an apt statement for the boy from Pakistan, who had grown and grown with each passing day as he has become more confident on his two feet.

“Usman Khawaja looks as if he’s found that great plane to bat on, where you’ve got a bit of perspective; it’s not the bee-all and end-all, you don’t want it too much, you’re not trying too hard, you’re just letting it happen.

“Sometimes I think in sport that it’s all about wanting it. No, no, sometimes you can do that too much.”

Khawaja said before the series every match from now on is a bonus.

Key described Khawaja’s century as “one of the great stories”.

That it is, as the 35-year-old continued to write new chapters into his glittering career and inspire a generation of cricketers in Australia and Pakistan that players of colour can break the mould and play for your country.

He went to stumps on day one 127 not out, as Australia finished 3-251.

“This is my home,” Khawaja said following the century.

“This is where the Khawajas are from. Everyone of my family is born in Karachi except me.

“It’s nice to get a hundred. It would have been nice to get a hundred both there (Rawalpindi) and here, but I’ll take this one.”