KHAWAJA DELIVERS A GOOGLY ON RACE

TEST cricketer Usman Khawaja is a lovely batsman. But he sure makes a lousy victim of our alleged racism.

Khawaja has been in and out of the Test team since his debut six years ago, living the dream of a million Australian boys.

For him, Australia’s blessings are multiplied, since he was actually born in Pakistan to a Muslim family and came here when he was four.

Two years ago, cricket writer Kate McGregor reported: “According to Khawaja, his life in Australia has been untainted by prejudice.

“Both cricket, especially his state and Test teammates, and the wider society have embraced him and his family.”

Said Khawaja: “I have not had any incidents of racial stuff. Nor has my mum, who wears the hijab.”

He told this same inspiring story about Australia when speaking of his school days in a film promoting multiculturalism: “I always felt like I was ‘in’ … I felt very comfortable.”

In fact, Australians so embraced this first Muslim to play for Australia that when Khawaja walked out to bat for the first time, against England in Sydney, he got what the Daily Telegraph called “an ovation to be remembered until his dying day”. “It was a welcoming. Australians … want someone who offers hope.”

But it seems Khawaja has forgotten that ovation, now aligning himself instead to our toxic victim culture. He has written an article for the PlayersVoice website that’s been praised, ominously, by Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane.

Khawaja says “at school I was called things by other kids I had never heard before”, and “being racially vilified actually made me stronger”. He says he was also racially abused playing cricket, and he’s more inclined to believe a complaint he heard “literally a hundred times” from other cricketers claiming of themselves: “I could have played for Australia, but I didn’t get selected because I was black/Indian/Pakistani, so I stopped playing.”

Khawaja admits such stories might not check out but “what is important is the sadness, hate and anger I’ve heard (from) those who have been discriminated, racially vilified or segregated because of their race, colour or religion.”

No. What is important is the question. Can Khawaja name one cricketer he spoke to who could have played for Australia but was not picked because he was black, Indian or Pakistani?

Until then, Khawaja’s first story of Australia rings more true.