As the Aussies began to celebrate retaining the Ashes after a 4-0 series demolition of England, Usman Khawaja was pictured scampering off the stage and away from his teammates.
It’s not that he didn’t want to celebrate, quite the opposite.
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But Khawaja is a Muslim and his religion prevents him from drinking.
As the champagne corks began to fly and the liquid of success was sprayed around, Aussie skipper Pat Cummins was quick to recognise there was one less baggy green on stage with the team in the form of Khawaja.
Immediately he and Marnus Labuschagne called and gestured for Khawaja to rejoin the team, as Cummins also pushed a bottle of champagne in a teammates’ hand down to the floor of the stage so that Khawaja could join the party sans alcohol being sprayed around.
Khawaja posted footage of the moment on social media and praised his teammates for keeping him included.
“If this video doesn’t show you that the boys have my back, I don’t know what will,” Khawaja said.
“They stopped their normal champagne celebrations so I could rejoin. Inclusivity in the game and our values as a sport are so important.
“I feel like we are trending in the right direction.”
It was an incredibly classy gesture from Cummins, who has enjoyed a stellar debut Test series since being appointed as captain.
“We’ve got a really diverse bunch of people and you want to celebrate that and you want to make sure everyone feels comfortable being themselves. That was just one moment,” Cummins said.
“The boys are fantastic in that space. They always look after each other. It’s a really tight-knit group.
“I think one of the reasons is there is a lot of respect and love for each other. We had to make sure our teammate was in the photo with us.”
WATCH THE VIDEO IN THE PLAYER ABOVE
As for Khawaja, he couldn’t have asked for a better return to the Test team after a three-year absence.
He scored a century in both of Australia’s innings at the Sydney Test, but didn’t quite enjoy the same success in Hobart, scoring only 6 and 11, but he was opening the batting instead of coming in at no. 5 in the order like he did at the SCG.
It remains to be seen if he’s done enough to warrant staying in the squad for Australia’s upcoming tour of the subcontinent, but it would be a truly special moment for Khawaja, who was born in Islamabad, Pakistan.
This news is republished from another source. You can check the original article here