Australia batsman Usman Khawaja revealed that he didn’t support the national side because he was racially abused as a kid. He said that he was once overlooked for selections due to “racism”.

Khawaja is the first Pakistan-born national player to represent Australia and the 30-year-old has now established himself as one of the country’s leading Test batsmen. On the playersvoice.com.au website, Khawaja revealed how he was ridiculed over his race since he was a kid.

He recalled how opposition players and their parents would hurl abuses at him and most of them would sledge at him softly enough just for him to hear. He added that most of them would abuse him when he scored runs but he didn’t let it affect his performance.

He said that he came from very humble beginnings and the national team was the complete opposite with players being vocal, confident and prudish.

As time went by, Khawaja said that he realized that the Australians abusing him were in minority and that a majority of them were positive towards him.

He credited his family for helping him become the only Asian first-class player in Australia at one time. The website on which Khawaja voiced his feelings allows players to talk about their experiences and the difficulties they faced while making it to the top of their respective sports.

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