Veteran Australian opening batter Usman Khawaja has confirmed that the fifth Test of the 2025-26 Ashes in Sydney will be the final match of his international career. Australia captain Pat Cummins and former India opener Shikhar Dhawan extended their wishes to Khawaja ahead of his final match in national colours.
Khawaja made his Test debut in 2011 and played 87 matches. He scored 6,206 runs at an average of 43.39, including 16 centuries. Khawaja played a key role in Australia’s success in the longest format. He was part of the squad that won the World Test Championship (WTC) in 2023 and reached the final again later.
Pat Cummins And Shikhar Dhawan Wish Usman Khawaja Ahead Of His Final International Match
The fifth Test in Sydney will be Usman Khawaja’s final match in international cricket. Notably, the match is special for him because he made his Test debut at the same ground in 2011, also against England.
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Khawaja moved to Australia from Islamabad as a child and went on to become the country’s first Pakistan-born and first Muslim international cricketer.
Pat Cummins wished him luck and hoped for one final big score at home. Shikhar Dhawan also praised Khawaja’s journey and sent his best wishes ahead of the farewell match in Sydney.
“Congratulations on an incredible career, mate. One more home century to go,” Cummins posted on his Instagram story.
“What a journey, @Uz_Khawaja. Good luck for the last Test in Sydney and everything that comes next 🙌,” Dhawan tweeted on Friday morning.
What a journey, @Uz_Khawaja. Good luck for the last Test in Sydney and everything that comes next 🙌
— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) January 2, 2026
Usman Khawaja’s Performance in a Challenging Ashes 2025-26 Series
Usman Khawaja became the only Asian first-class cricketer in Australia. He later set up a foundation to support young people from refugee, immigrant, Indigenous, and disadvantaged backgrounds through cricket and education.
Khawaja has scored 6,206 runs with 16 centuries at an average of 43.39, with a career-best 232 against Sri Lanka last year. However, the left-handed batter has not scored a hundred since. The current Ashes series has been tough for him and has brought extra pressure.
He hurt his back in the Perth Test and missed the next match in Brisbane. The batter was also left out in Adelaide but returned when Steve Smith fell ill before the toss. Batting at number four, Khawaja scored 82 and 40 but followed it with scores of 29 and 0 in the Melbourne Test.
Australia Face Uncertainty At The Top Of The Order
Australia have no clear succession plan at the top of the order. A similar situation unfolded a few years ago when David Warner retired at home, and despite having time to prepare, Australia struggled to manage the transition smoothly.
Steve Smith was pushed up the order with little success, while young options like Sam Konstas and Nathan McSweeney were not given extended runs. Marnus Labuschagne briefly tried opening, adding to the instability.
With Usman Khawaja’s retirement, Australia have lost their most settled opener. The team must now decide whether to make Travis Head a permanent opener and strengthen the middle order, or turn fully to domestic cricket to build a new opening pair from scratch.
Also read: Australia squad for fifth Test against England in Ashes 2025-26 announced; Steve Smith to lead
