Usman Khawaja's international career came to an end as the fifth Ashes Test reached a conclusion on Thursday. Australia won the Sydney Test by five wickets to clinch the Ashes series by 4-1 as Khawaja concluded his career on a positive note. Following the match, the 39-year-old remarked that he couldn't keep a check on his emotions and found it very hard to concentrate while batting.
Khawaja's rare failure in Sydney
Despite having a phenomenal batting record at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Khawaja got dismissed for scores of 17 and 6 in the first and second innings respectively. He finished the Ashes series with 176 runs from seven innings, including just one 50+ score. The left-hand batter said that even though he wanted to hit the winning runs, he is more than grateful that the team came out victorious.
"It means a lot. So much has gone into it. The only thing I wanted was a win, as much as I wanted to hit the winning runs. The whole Test match I found it hard to control my emotions," Khawaja said after the match, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
"I found it hard to concentrate in the middle. I'm grateful I've had the career I've had. I have full gratitude. It definitely got a bit too tight. You never count your chickens. We got the job done though," he added.
Khawaja's international numbers
Khawaja played a total of 88 Tests, 40 ODIs and 9 T20Is for Australia in his 15-year long international career. He scored over 8000 runs and was an important figure in the side's Test set-up for over a decade. He has left a big void in the team with his retirement and it remains to be seen as to who will replace him in the playing XI.
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Meanwhile, Australia defeated England rather comfortably in the Sydney Test. They only had a target of 160 to chase on Day 5 and even though looked wobbly at times, they eventually ended up on the winning side. Marnus Labuschagne (37) and Jake Weatherald (34) proved to be the side's top-scorers as they stamped their authority over the series and retained the Ashes once again.