Australia opening batsman Usman Khawaja admitted Monday that playing in Pakistan will be “special” as he returned to the country of his birth for the first time as an international cricketer. Khawaja, 36, was born to Pakistani parents in Islamabad before moving to Australia four years later and became the first Muslim cricketer to don the baggy green cap. Known for his dashing left-handed batting, Khawaja recently enjoyed a remarkable comeback after a three-year gap, smashing a century in each innings of the Ashes Test against England at Sydney last month.
He is now part of the Australia team that arrived Sunday in Pakistan for the first time in 24 years and will play three Tests, starting in Rawalpindi later this week, three one-day internationals and one Twenty20 international.
Khawaja said he always wanted to go back and play in Pakistan.
“The fact that I am playing in Pakistan is special, very special,” Khawaja told reporters ahead of the first Test beginning on Friday.
“I always wanted to play in Pakistan as I said down the road. There is that bit of sentiment definitely, but once the game starts you don’t think about that stuff.
“I look forward to playing in Rawalpindi, where I went to the old stadium as a kid and have played once,” said Khawaja, who revealed he had visited Pakistan on four occasions, the last time in 2010.
“Karachi is also special to my heart, where my relatives live, but since we are in a security bubble there is no chance of meeting anyone.”
The second Test is in Karachi from March 12-16 and the third in Lahore from March 21-25.
