Civil war in Australian cricket! Usman Khawaja accuses Ian Healy, Queensland of lying about his injury

Veteran Australian opening batter Usman Khawaja has responded to the controversy surrounding his absence from a 2024-25 Sheffield Shield match. The veteran batter stated that Queensland Cricket and Cricket Australia were fully aware of his hamstring injury and added that he was devastated by their claims.

Usman Khawaja missed Queensland’s Sheffield Shield match against South Australia at Karen Rolton Oval last week due to a hamstring injury. However, his absence became a talking point when he was seen attending the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, while Queensland was preparing for the fixture.

Queensland Officials Question Usman Khawaja’s Absence Amid Injury Claims

Queensland Cricket general manager Joe Dawes stated that the board was unaware of any hamstring injury. He expressed disappointment over Khawaja’s decision to miss the match, adding that he had an opportunity to play but didn’t take it.

"It's just disappointing he didn't play a game for Queensland when he had an opportunity to," Joe Dawes said.

Queensland Cricket board member Ian Healy accused Khawaja of a "pick and choose mentality" in his later years.

"It's just this pick and choose mentality that has been evident in his later years that Queensland haven't been happy with," Healy said on SEN radio show.

Usman Khawaja Defends Himself Amid Injury Controversy

Usman Khawaja defended his injury and decision to attend the Australian Grand Prix after missing Queensland’s Sheffield Shield match against South Australia. Khawaja called out Joe Dawes, stating that he had made "inflammatory" comments.

"There's a lot of misinformation being thrown around. The most disappointing thing was, I try to keep this as in-house as possible behind the scenes. It's obviously not anymore," Khawaja said.

"Joe Dawes came out the other day and said a few inflammatory things, which was really disappointing to me as a player, and after that, I just felt like I had to speak up and say something, and give my side a story," he added.

Usman Khawaja Says Physios Were Fully Aware of His Injury

The 38-year-old dismissed Joe Dawes' claim that Queensland’s medical staff were unaware of his hamstring injury, calling it "100% wrong." He stated that both Queensland and Australian team physios were informed.

"Joey said that the medical staff had no idea. That is 100% wrong. I've talked to both our physios. I've talked to the Australian physio. I was talking to the Australian physio the whole time. It's on our athlete management system (AMS)," Khawaja opined.

"My hammy is reported. Everything is there. Everyone knew about it. That was probably one of the most shocking things I heard. It was really disappointing because it's categorically untrue. So I just wanted to clear that up, that the physios 100% knew about my hammy injury."

Khawaja has confirmed that he will play for Queensland in the upcoming Sheffield Shield final against South Australia. The title clash is scheduled to be played at the Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide, starting on March 26.

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