Australia’s veteran left-handed opening batter, Usman Khawaja, has decided to retire from international cricket after the fifth and final Test of the Ashes 2025/26 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). The 39-year-old will enter his last red-ball contest with 87 caps and 6206 runs at an average of 43.39, having scored 28 half-centuries and 16 centuries at the best score of 232.

In the ongoing Ashes series, the southpaw has notched up one vital half-century during the first innings of the third Adelaide Test, along with a duck in the second innings of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. He revealed that he had considered retirement several times after the Boxing Day Test in India last year.

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“I've been thinking about it, not wholly, but for a while. Moving into this series, I kind of had an inkling in my head that this would be the last series. I talked to Rachel [Khawaja's wife] about it a fair bit, and I knew this was a big chance. I didn't leave the door fully shut, because I knew there was a chance I could play on.” Khawaja expressed in the press conference.

Usman Khawaja to end 15-year international career in Sydney

Khawaja confirmed that he would continue playing for the Brisbane Heat in the BBL after his international retirement and hopes to feature for Queensland later in the summer during the Sheffield Shield games.

“I'm glad I get to leave on my own terms, with a little bit of dignity, and go out at the SCG where I love. But I think the start of the series was a pretty tough time. Then going into Adelaide and not being picked initially for the game, that was probably a sign for me to say, 'all right, it's time to move on'.” Khawaja shed light.

“I said to him, if, at any stage right now, if you want me to retire, I will retire straight away. I have no issue. I'm not hanging on for myself. That was the most annoying thing, because I felt people were coming at me, and I felt they were saying I was selfish for staying on. But I wasn't staying on for myself.” The Pakistan-born addressed.