‘Being Pakistan-born it is an honor for me to play the historic series’ Usman

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan-born Australian opening batter Usman Khawaja said it is an honor for the left-handed batter to be a part of Australia’s historic tour to Pakistan.

Usman, while talking to a virtual press conference revealed that he feels ‘very honored’ to be a part of the historic tour.

“It is an honor for me to play this historic series and tour Pakistan as I was born there, so yeah, it is a very special moment for me,” he said.

“Playing in Pakistan is an important moment for me, as I have always dreamt of playing in the country where I was born,” he added.

Usman, who was born in Pakistan but later moved to Australia and currently represents the latter in the longest format of the game, said that it will be his home crowd during the first Test.

“Rawalpindi crowd will be my home crowd but I will be representing Australia. I am hopeful of getting the chance to open the innings for the Aussies,” he said.

“I have always received immense support in Pakistan. The cricketing fans here appreciate good quality cricket,” he added.

Usman further commented on the Test series and said that the experience of playing cricket in the subcontinent will help him in the series.

“I have quite an experience of playing cricket in the subcontinent in the past which will help me to play in Pakistan,” he said.

“Most of the pitches of the sub-continent favor the spin but Rawalpindi is favorable for fast bowlers but we can expect a different pitch too,” he added.

The 35-years-old then revealed that he is currently enjoying playing Test cricket, while is also hopeful of performing well in all three matches against Pakistan.

The left-handed batter also recalled his childhood in Pakistan, revealing that he had attended a match at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium and had photographs of it. He also disclosed that after moving to Australia, he and his family have visited the country four times.