Former Australia opener Usman Khawaja will join Sky Sports as part of its broadcast group for subsequent summer time’s Ashes collection. Sky Sports finalised an settlement with the recently retired batter before the release of his autobiography, Sabr, which has reignited the controversy surrounding the 2018 Sandpaper-Gate scandal.
The left-handed batter retired from worldwide cricket in January 2026 after the final Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Floor, where he had additionally made his debut in 2011. Khawaja performed 23 Ashes Assessments throughout seven collection, giving him experience of the rivalry from each side of the competition.
Usman Khawaja Set to Be a part of Sky Sports for First Three Ashes Assessments
In line with The Telegraph, Usman Khawaja is predicted to characteristic in Sky Sports’ coverage of the primary three Assessments at Trent Bridge, Lord’s and Edgbaston. He will deliver priceless perception into Australia’s gamers, having shared the dressing room with them throughout his worldwide profession.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting is predicted to return for the final two Assessments at the Utilita Bowl in Southampton and The Oval. Though Ponting frequently options on Sky’s coverage, his coaching commitments in Main League Cricket within the United States imply he’s set to overlook the opening part of the collection.
One other former Australia captain, Mark Taylor, can also be expected to affix the printed group alongside former England quick bowler Mark Wood. The community has assembled an experienced group of former gamers for the five-match collection.
‘It Was All of Us’ – Usman Khawaja Challenges Australia’s Bowlers Over Sandpaper-Gate
In Sabr, Usman Khawaja challenged the bowlers’ long-standing declare that they knew nothing about the plan to make use of sandpaper on the ball throughout the Cape Town Test in 2018. He claimed that your complete dressing room knew about the incident.
“It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the workers. All of us,” Khawaja wrote.
Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon issued a joint assertion in 2021 after Cameron Bancroft’s interview raised questions on their data of the plan.
David Warner served a one-year suspension after the investigation identified him because the architect of the plan. Bancroft, who was caught making use of sandpaper to the ball, obtained a nine-month ban, while then-captain Steve Smith was additionally suspended for 12 months.
Usman Khawaja Finishes Australia Profession With 8,024 Worldwide Runs
Usman Khawaja finished his 15-year worldwide profession with 8,024 runs throughout 137 matches in all three formats. The left-handed batter scored 6,229 runs in 88 Assessments at a mean of 42.96, together with 16 centuries and 28 half-centuries, together with his highest Test score of 232 coming in opposition to Sri Lanka in 2025.
In ODIs, he amassed 1,554 runs in 40 matches at a mean of 42.00, with two centuries and 12 half-centuries. He additionally scored 241 runs in 9 T20Is at a strike charge of 132.42.
Khawaja made historical past in January 2011 when he grew to become the primary Muslim and Pakistani-heritage cricketer to symbolize Australia at the Test degree. After dropping his place within the side in 2019, he made a successful return in January 2022, scoring twin centuries in opposition to England at the SCG.
Khawaja gained the 2023 ICC Males’s Test Cricketer of the Year award. He additionally performed a key role in Australia’s World Test Championship triumph in 2023. Khawaja was one among solely two Australian batters, alongside Allan Border, to score Test centuries in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Source: cricketaddictor.com
