Usman Khawaja has revealed a lack of motivation during Shield cricket before the Australian Test summer commenced. Citing his support for Palestine in the ongoing conflict with Israel, the Australian opener emphasized the importance of seeking advice from a psychologist.
In the past weeks, Khawaja has been outspoken about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The left-handed batsman has tried to show his support even during matches, but the ICC has rejected his gestures, including admonishing him for wearing a black armband without prior permission.
During an interview with Fox Cricket on Monday, Khawaja shared that he has been deeply impacted by this situation and recognized the necessity to seek counseling.
“I don’t do these things on a whim – this is something that has affected me for a long time. And I was playing Sheffield Shield cricket before the Test series and I was really lacking motivation.”
“I talked to my wife Rachel, I talked to our sports psychologist Brent Membrey and Cricket Australia and told them I really am struggling for motivation right now,” he explained.
Following the ICC’s prohibition on him wearing ‘non-compliant’ shoes before the first Test against Pakistan in Perth, Khawaja opted to contest the regulations.
“Playing cricket seemed not very important”- Usman Khwaja
The 36-year-old also mentioned that, during that time, cricket felt like the least important thing, and he wanted to ask for help without distancing himself from others.
“When I see all these people, particularly innocent kids, dying and I see videos of that happening it really has an effect on me. Going out and playing cricket just seemed so insignificant and I’m really struggling with it.”
“It had a big impact on me. I thought long and hard about what I could do and how I could do it without segregating and pushing people aside,” Khawaja added.
Khawaja has shown good form against Pakistan, delivering an impressive performance in Perth with scores of 41 and 90.
Australia has already secured a decisive 2-0 lead in the three-match series, and the final Test is set to start in Sydney on Wednesday.
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