Ashes 2023: "You’re C**p, You’re S**t, You’re Useless" - Usman Khawaja Breaks Silence On Crowd Experience During Ashes

Australian opener Usman Khawaja opened up on his crowd experience during the Ashes 2023 and said that it had never been so ‘worse’.

The 36-year-old believes that some of the aggression from the fans toward the Aussie side was unnecessary and the player thinks that the Bazball had made a certain effect on the crowd as well.

While speaking to Wisden, Usman Khawaja said that he has never experienced such things. Khawaja was giving an example of the second Test when he received some strongest language and he did not have a taste of it during any of his trips.

Khawaja further said that the vibe was much different this time and it felt more like a football match.

“The crowd this time was far worse than anything I’ve ever experienced. That second morning at Edgbaston, getting sprayed left, right and centre. I had some of the strongest language and aggression directed at me of all my cricket trips. The vibe was so different and it felt more like a football crowd. Maybe Bazball helps to attract a different dynamic. This was constant chat along the lines of, ‘You’re c**p, you’re s**t, you’re useless, you can’t score runs here’,” Usman Khawaja said.

Usman Khawaja revealed that Lord’s is meant to be special but this time it has changed. Khawaja also added that people take his politeness as his weakness.

“Walking back through the Long Room, I couldn’t believe what was said. I was like, ‘This is meant to be the gold standard of cricket’. Lord’s is meant to be a special place where they’ll clap you off whether you get a duck or a hundred, but after Edgbaston, I wasn’t just going to stand by and cop it. I never go up to anyone without a reason but I’ll always stand up for myself. People take my politeness as a weakness but if you come for me, I’ll come right back,” Usman Khawaja added.

It was as if no one cared or bothered to look into my recent successes: Usman Khawaja

Usman Khawaja hit back at his critics and said that no one cared to look at his recent successful innings. He recalled when people said that he can’t score runs in nets.

“It was as if no one cared or bothered to look into my recent successes. As I’m going to the nets, people saying that I can’t score runs here. That’s when it really struck me. So the celebration was all the chained-up emotion. I don’t know why I dropped the bat, but it was probably the culmination of having three Ashes tours here and getting dropped in two of them,” Khawaja further added.

In the Ashes 2023 between England and Australia, Pat Cummins’ side retained the urn after drawing the series by 2-2 since the Aussies won it last year.