"I wouldn’t want my kids to be around that" - Usman Khawaja on the hostile attitude of England fans during the Ashes
Australian opening batter Usman Khawaja has hit out against the hostile attitude of England fans in the ongoing 2023 Ashes series so far. Khawaja was caught in the eye of the storm during the second Test at Lord's after being involved in a verbal altercation with a Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) member in the long room during the lunch break on Day 5.
The intensity of the England-Australia rivalry has flared up in a highly competitive series which still sits tight at 2-1 in favor of the Aussies with two more matches to go. The likes of Usman Khawaja and Alex Carey were the targets of the infamous Leeds crowd in the aftermath of the Lord's debacle.
Khawaja admitted that the atmosphere is so rough that he would not even bring his children to be exposed to that.
“I mean, they’re rough. If you talk about it to England guys, they say we are equally as rough when [they go to Australia]. I don’t agree with it either way. I don’t think it’s the right thing to do. Personally, if I am coming to the cricket and watching the cricket, I wouldn’t want my kids to be around that," he said.
Further stating that Travis Head also copped a lot of abuse from the crowd, Khawaja continued:
“If I saw that, I would 100 per cent make a complaint or just leave. I think some of the stuff can be pretty poor. Over at Edgbaston they were calling Travis Head a cu ... you know what. I can’t believe you can actually say that in a public domain anywhere.”
There have been incidents of unruly behavior by crowds in Australia as well, but those cases have been resolved either through a complaint by players on the field or members of the audience to the security staff.
The provision of letting security know about any sort of ill-discipline in the crowd through a uniform, streamlined text message system is yet to be set up in England. Should the behavior cross the line, the security staff often ejects the member out of the venue.
"I have been doing it my whole life, it doesn’t bother me" - Usman Khawaja
The Marylebone Cricket Club suspended three members who were involved in the altercation with Usman Khawaja during the Lord's Test. The organization also issued an apology to the Australian team following the end of the Test.
Opining that incidents often flare up when the spectators and players are within range of each other, Khawaja said:
“MCC are all over it. I trust them to do the right thing. I know watching a lot of sport and loving sport that it happens around the world. You watch the NBA, it happens there."
He continued:
"Particularly when crowds can get real close to you, which they can in cricket. It is what it is, I don’t agree with it. I have been doing it my whole life, it doesn’t bother me. And if it does, I will let them know.”
The fourth Ashes Test is scheduled to begin on July 19 at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester.