“Obviously I was born there, so it’s a very close part of me”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

Usman Khawaja is still culturally in touch with Pakistan, his country of birth, but he admitted that he was slightly surprised when he was directed towards the visitors’ dressing room by a security guard at the Gabba in Brisbane on Tuesday.

Born in Islamabad, Khawaja moved to Australia when he was four-and-a-half and is now an instrumental part of Australia’s Test team.

Khawaja will take on Pakistan in a Test match for the first time in his career on Thursday and admitted that he couldn’t help but laugh when he was mistaken for a Pakistani player just minutes prior to a press conference.

“Actually funnily enough I was waiting downstairs and I needed the change room locker to be opened for us and I was just waiting and the Queensland Cricket lady came down,” he said. “She was like ‘Oh, you need the locker rooms open?’ I went ‘yes please’ and she started walking to the Pakistani change room.

“I was like, ‘no, I’m that way, thank you!’ It’s still a very big part of me.”

While the 29-year-old hasn’t dwelled on the fact that he will be facing Pakistan, he conceded that his parents will have a different mindset, considering that they called the subcontinent nation home for a long time.

“Maybe for my parents because they grew up in Pakistan and were there for a long time,” he said. “Obviously I was born there, so it’s a very close part of me. Culture is very important, as is religion … not as important as religion obviously.

“My parents are Australian but they’re also very Pakistani. If I broke it down, the way I act and what I do is very Australian. But there are always parts of me when I talk to my parents I still at times try to speak Urdu here and there. It’s not as good as them but they can understand what’s going on. It’s a big part of my life when I’m with my parents or around my parents.”