Sydney, Jan 2 (IANS) Veteran Australia batter Usman Khawaja announced on Friday that he will retire from international cricket after the fifth Ashes Test against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Khawaja called a press conference and made the announcement with his family by his side two days out from the match, ahead of the team’s net session with the Aussies aiming to claim another 12 World Test Championship points and finish the series as 4-1 victors.

“I’m here to announce today that I will be retiring from all international cricket after the SCG Test match,” Khawaja told the press.

“God through cricket has given me far more than I could have imagine. He’s given me memories I’ll carry forever, friendship that goes well beyond the game, and lessons that shaped me, who I am, off the field.

“But no career belongs to one person. I obviously had a lot of help. To my parents, thank you for your sacrifices that never made the highlights reel.”

Khawaja informed his Australia teammates only moments earlier ahead of their training session two days out from the series finale against England.

In a career spanning 15 years, Khawaja has amassed over 8000 international runs across formats, while featuring in 87 Tests, 40 ODIs, and nine T20Is.

He retires as one of Australia’s most prolific run-scorers; 30 more in his farewell Test will see him pass Michael Hussey’s tally of 6,235 into 14th among Australian men.

Khawaja brings the curtain down on his career as one of only 18 Australians to have scored more than 15 Test centuries, finishing with 16 hundreds in the longest format. He also leaves the game with 49 limited-overs appearances, including two ODI centuries to his name.

The left-hander fittingly bows out in his home city of Sydney, where he made his Test debut against England in 2011. It was also at the SCG that Khawaja reignited his career as a 35-year-old, smashing twin centuries against England in early 2022 when Travis Head was sidelined with Covid.

It led to a final career spark, hitting seven centuries in his first two years back in the side, and a World Test Championship win in 2023.

In 2023, Khawaja was named ICC Test Cricketer of the Year and Shane Warne Test Cricketer of the Year, and played a key role in Australia’s World Test Championship triumph.

Khawaja told coach Andrew McDonald after the fourth Test in Melbourne he would finish up in Sydney.

“It’s been tough; I’ve just wanted to tell everyone. I told teammates just then. I didn’t think I’d get emotional, but I teared up straightaway, and I had to compose myself. I finally composed myself and got out what I wanted to say.

“I never thought I’d be the guy that would cry when he retired, but I cried straightaway. It just shows what it means to me. My journey has been different to a lot of cricketers in the Australian cricket team. All that emotion built up,” he said.

Khawaja will continue to play for the Brisbane Heat in the BBL and also outlined his intention to also remain available for Queensland’s Sheffield Shield side.

–IANS

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