Australia Batter Usman Khawaja Signs Up With Brisbane Heat, Set To Captain The Side

The 35-year-old Australia National Cricket Team batter Usman Khawaja has signed a four-year deal with Brisbane Heat and he is all set to captain the side in the upcoming season.

The official announcement of Usman Khawaja joining the Brisbane Heat came on Wednesday, June 29. Notably, Khawaja, who is the leading run-getter for the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League (BBL), left the team for family reasons.

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Meanwhile, Khawaja said that he always thought of finishing as a Sydney Thunder player but things change pretty quickly.

“I always thought I would finish off as a Thunder player, but it is funny how things change,” he was quoted as saying by Brisbane Heat.

“I’ve said it for a long time, that Brisbane is home, Queensland is home, and to be here, captain of Queensland, and now joining the Heat – it is really exciting,” said Khawaja.

“I know I will be playing in front of my family, and a home crowd, when I am at the Gabba or Metricon Stadium with the Heat. I love the Thunder and the Thunder Nation, but at the same time, this is a change that comes at the right time,” he added.

It wasn’t an easy decision – Usman Khawaja

Khawaja further said that switching the team was a very tough decision for him but he feels it’s the right time for the change.

“It wasn’t an easy decision, it was a very tough one, but the timing just feels right. I like to say I used to be an honorary Queensland and now I am one.

“I have been loosely tied with the Heat through my Queensland roles for several years, and so I am looking forward to the challenge of trying something new by joining them now,” he said

Meanwhile, Brisbane Heat’s new captain Khawaja will miss the initial half of the upcoming Big Bash League (BBL) as he will be busy with national duty.

He will join the team after the conclusion of the Test match between Australia and South Africa at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 8.

In the absence of Usman Khawaja, Jimmy Peirson, who captained Heat last season, will be captaining the side

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