Breaking new ground

Usman Khawaja’s inclusion in ‘the battalion’ - to use Peter Roebuck’s term - to face England cannot be underestimated by sub-continent-origin lovers of cricket here in Australia. However, when the squad was later trimmed to 13, Khawaja was not in the short list. But when doubts of Australian vice captain Michael Clarke’s fitness emerged prior to the First Test, Khawaja was put on standby. Clarke ultimately proved fit, and Khwaja could not secure that baggy green.

Richard Chee Quee made quite a splash in the mid 1990s when he became only the second Asian after Hunter Poon in 1923 to play first class cricket. But the Australian national team under Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh was at its very peak and very few new players got an opportunity to break in. Chee Quee’s talents could not get him the holy grail of the Australian baggy green.

Khawaja’s emergence in Australian cricket comes at an appropriate time. Australia’s dominance of world cricket since 1995 stands broken. Languishing at fourth place in the ICC Test Cricket rankings, the selectors are looking for a new direction. There is talk about aging players and falling crowds. Test cricket battered by the onslaught of the 20/20 format is losing favour with the younger Australian population. Perhaps this is the

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

time to look more closely at some both on field and off field options.

Usman Khawaja immigrated with his family to Australia at the age of 3. Since then his cricketing skills have steadily blossomed. He was Player of the Year in the Australian Under 19 Championships in 2005, and also played for Australia in the 2006 Under 19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka as an opening batsman . In 2008 Khawaja hit consecutive double centuries for the NSW Second XI - a feat never achieved before by a NSW player. Over the last 12 months, he has been on the fringes of the Aussie national team and finally, it seems that he is one step away from donning his own baggy green. He will surely serve as a beacon to thousands of children from sub continent backgrounds who aspire to represent Australia in cricket. On any given weekend, cricket nets in a number of Australian suburbs have an overwhelming proportion of budding India, Pakistani and Sri-Lankan cricketers practising their shots and bowling.

The lower ranks of grade and club cricket also have their shares of Ranasanghes, Singhs and Khans. While excellent at these levels, when it comes to the final check point for State cricket, not many are able to enter. Usman Khawaja has shown that this indeed can be done. With more players from the subcontinent playing in domestic and international cricket, it will allow for greater interest from the subcontinent viewing public. In that part of the world, cricket is akin to a religion and with millions of viewers watching the diverse range of talent in Australia, it can only mean better benefits from television rights and sponsorship dollars.

While we are seeing diverse talent emerge on the playing fields, perhaps it is also time to look at the range of voices which can be heard on the various broadcast channels in Australia. The game of cricket has seen a huge change in the past few years; perhaps it is time to expand the pool of media presenters for the game - younger presenters, perhaps, or a more multicultural panel.

Cricket tragics love their stories and folklore, and Khawaja’s inclusion in the national team will surely rank as one of them. Bring on the options of an Australian national cricket team with all its diversity!