Australian captain Steve Smith has defended retiring teammate Usman Khawaja over the “unfair” criticism he has copped during the Ashes series and his Test career.
But not everyone is siding with the 39-year-old ahead of his final match, with former Aussie quick Jason Gillespie describing parts of Khawaja’s press conference on Friday morning as a “temper tantrum” regarding comments about his preparation.
The veteran batter will finish with 88 matches in the baggy green and will go down as one of Australia’s most prolific performers of the past decade.
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Usman Khawaja will retire after the Sydney Test. Getty
Khawaja has amassed well over 6000 runs and scored 16 centuries at Test level, but it hasn’t all been smooth sailing – both early in his career and this summer.
The classy left-hander made note of the “racial stereotypes” he faced during his career and pointed the finger at both media and ex-players for criticising his preparation before the first Test this summer after he suffered back spasms in Perth.
Smith refused to delve into some of the heavy subject matter, but did back Khawaja regarding his preparation in the Australian set-up and playing golf before matches.
“I’m not going into the mind of Usman Khawaja,” he said.
“But in terms of preparation, I think he’s always prepared the same way.
“I think some of the stuff around him getting injured when he played golf the day before the game, that was unfair. He’s done that for 15 years … but on an odd occasion when he prepared the same way and he got injured, it’s pretty unfair to single that out.
“To the rest of it, I can’t really say too much on that – that’s Usman’s views.”
Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith. Getty
However, while speaking on ABC Radio on Saturday regarding the comments, Gillespie fired back and shut down Khawaja’s gripe about the recent criticism he faced.
“I’m not questioning the racism that Usman has faced throughout his life,” he said.
“I’ve actually always admired him and applauded him for speaking up because racism is a big stain on our society, and it always needs to be called out.
“He referenced racism when he was talking about criticism that he received.
“A few former players came out and quite rightly questioned whether that [playing golf] was the best possible preparation.
“Being questioned over that and being held to account over your choices, that’s not bullying, it’s not abuse, that’s all part and parcel of being a professional.
Usman Khawaja with family before the SCG Test. Getty
“You can’t really throw a temper tantrum when asked to take accountability for the job you’re actually paid to do. I think the media in this space have been very consistent throughout this Ashes series. They’ve consistently questioned the preparation of the England side. I don’t see how that’s been any different.
“Usman also referenced that he’s been called lazy his whole life.
“I haven’t seen anything in the media that’s been said or written by anyone that’s referenced Usman being lazy, so I’m not sure where that’s come from.”
Gillespie was the first male Indigenous player to represent Australia at Test level and broke down barriers himself for the likes of Scott Boland in the future.
Khawaja has laid a similar platform for players of different backgrounds after becoming the first Muslim to play for Australia on the international stage.
As his career winds down, Smith heaped praise on his long-time teammate for the perseverance and resilience he showed to keep his Test career alive multiple times.
“He’s had a wonderful career,” the Aussie skipper said.
Usman Khawaja. Getty
“I think back to 15 years ago, I played in his first Test match here – shame he’s gone, now I’m the oldest one here. He came on the scene, we knew he was such a talent from a young age. His progression over a long period of time has been outstanding.
“He hates it, but we dropped him and I was captain at that stage. We dropped him in the subcontinent, we didn’t think he was playing the spinners as well as he does now. He hates us for it, but he got that opportunity to go back and figure out ways to play.
“Whether he would have done that if he kept playing, I’m not sure. He’s arguably one of our best players of spin now, so maybe [it was] a blessing in disguise.
“The way he’s been able to play over his 15-year career, 88 Test matches, it’s a credit to him and not many people get to go out on their own terms.”
