Legendary Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja decided to end his international career in early 2026. During his time playing Test matches for Australia, he accumulated numerous winning innings.
After retiring, Khawaja revealed an important secret about his life. For a long time, starting at the age of 22 and throughout his entire international career, he secretly battled a serious illness that could have ended not only his sporting but also his personal life.
In an interview with Australian Story, Usman Khawaja shared his difficult story. He recounted that in 2009, when he was only a 22-year-old player in the early stages of his career, he was diagnosed with a severe autoimmune disease called rheumatoid arthritis.
Recalling that terrible period, Khawaja stated that he genuinely felt like he was dying. He transformed from a professional athlete into a person who could not walk even ten meters to the bathroom in his own home. The severe knee pain undermined him so much that his cricket career seemed doomed even before it began.
Although Usman Khawaja kept the information about his illness hidden from everyone, his journey can be called a miracle. He played 88 Test matches for Australia, scoring 6229 runs thanks to 16 centuries. He also became the first Pakistani and the first Muslim cricketer to play for Australia.
The most striking point is that Khawaja informed doctors and team management about his illness, but kept this information from all teammates, including his childhood friend David Warner and veteran Michael Hayes. Khawaja did not want anyone to pity him or for his opponents to use this weakness against him on the field.
'Without this medication, I would never play again... '
Khawaja admitted that without timely treatment and injections, he would never have been able to pick up the bat again and lead a normal life. By revealing this illness in his autobiography 'Sabr', he wants to convey a message to the world: if someone can play at the highest level of cricket while battling such a dangerous disease, then no one should give up in the face of illness.