After months of speculation, he finally made his intentions clear. He was unable to participate in the first Ashes Test in Perth last November due to debilitating back spasms, and the same injury kept him out of the Brisbane Test in the following month.

He will conclude his career with 88 Test matches under his belt. Impressively, he ranks as Australia’s 15th highest run-scorer in history, boasting a total of 6,206 runs.

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“These are the same racial stereotypes that I’ve grown up with my whole life.”

Khawaja believed part of that commentary came down to the fact he had been outspoken on political issues in recent years, and the most notably the plight of Palestinians.

“But I feel like I have to because where these guys are trying to divide and create hate and trying to create animosity in the Australian community, I’m doing the exact opposite.”

SCG fitting location for Khawaja’s farewell

His 2011 debut against England, in which he scored 37 runs, offered Australian fans hope at the end of the worst home summer this century.

Usman Khawaja with his wife Rachel and children Aisha and Ayla at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where Khawaja will soon play his final Test match. Source: AAP / Dan Himbrechts

And it was at the SCG where he revived his career as a 35-year-old, scoring twin centuries against England when Travis Head missed a Test in 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic.