Usman Khawaja to Bow Out at SCG, Ending a 15-Year Test Journey

Australian cricket will close a long chapter at the Sydney Cricket Ground this week. Usman Khawaja, one of the side’s most enduring figures of the past decade, will walk out for his final Test at the venue where his journey began. The SCG Ashes finale will be his last act in international cricket.

At 39, Khawaja has chosen his moment with no farewell tour and drawn-out goodbye. Just one last Test on familiar turf, with family nearby and the weight of a career already settled. When he spoke in the SCG press room, the tone was calm, and the decision, he said, had been forming for some time.

Khawaja will play his last match with 87 Test caps and 6,206 runs, shaped across different teams, different roles, and plenty of uncertainty along the way. Sixteen centuries sit on the record, but his value often lived between those numbers. 

A Retirement Call

Retirement had hovered in the background for nearly two years. Khawaja admitted the conversation came up at home more than once, particularly around last summer’s series against India. He even raised the subject directly with coach Andrew McDonald, offering to step aside immediately if the team wanted change.

That message was not accepted, as Australia still needed him. Tours to Sri Lanka and the push toward the World Test Championship kept him in the frame. Khawaja stayed because the side asked him to stay, not because he felt owed anything.

He said the idea never matched reality, and selection calls, not milestones, would decide the end.

By the time this Ashes series opened, the signs were clearer. A tough start, fitness concerns, and being left out in Adelaide all fed into the same conclusion. When he finally informed McDonald days before the Sydney Test, the feeling was settled.

Career That Refused A Straight Line

The SCG has always been tied to Khawaja’s story, as he debuted there in 2011 against England, replacing an injured Ricky Ponting. It was a historic moment, but the path afterward rarely stayed smooth.

Years passed, and his place never felt secure, as his first Test hundred did not arrive until 2015, after another long absence from the side.

During the 2021–22 Ashes, Khawaja returned and scored twin centuries. From there, he shifted roles, moved to the top of the order, and became central to Australia’s plans. 

From that Sydney return through the 2023 Ashes, he averaged above 60 across 22 Tests. Even as form slowed later, the moments did not disappear. A career-best 232 in Galle early last year showed his method still worked when patience ruled.

What’s Next For Usman Khawaja?

Khawaja will not step away from the game entirely, as he intends to keep playing in the Big Bash League for Brisbane Heat and hopes to turn out for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield. 

Australia may soon need to reshuffle at the top of the order, with future tours already approaching. For now, the focus stays on one ground and one final Test. The SCG gave Khawaja his beginning, and now gives him the ending he wanted.