Australia's opener Usman Khawaja has disclosed that he currently lacks the motivation to engage in cricket. During an interview with Fox Cricket before the final Test match of the series in Sydney, Khawaja revealed that the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has significantly impacted him.
The 37-year-old had expressed his intention to wear a peace logo during the Boxing Day Test match in Melbourne as a form of protest against the loss of lives in the war. However, the International Cricket Council denied Khawaja permission to do so, leading to widespread criticism directed at the cricketing body. Khawaja, speaking ahead of the final Test match in the series, stated that his motivation has been diminishing since the Sheffield Shield.
“I don't do these things on a whim – this is something that has affected me for a long time. I was playing Sheffield Shield cricket before the Test series and I was really lacking motivation. I talked to my wife Rachel, I talked to our sports psychologist Brent Membery and Cricket Australia and told them I really am struggling for motivation right now”, Khawaja explained in an interview to Fox Sports.
The conflict between Hamas and Israel in early October resulted in a significant loss of lives. In response to Hamas' attack, Israel deployed military force, leading to extensive damage in Gaza, a city in Palestine. Khawaja expressed that amidst such a time of war, the act of playing cricket felt inconsequential, and he has been grappling with this sentiment.
"When I see all these people, particularly innocent kids, dying and I see videos of that happening it really has an effect on me. Going out and playing cricket just seemed so insignificant and I'm really struggling with it. It had a big impact on me. I thought long and hard about what I could do and how I could do it without segregating and pushing people aside," Khawaja added.
He has displayed good form in the ongoing Test match. Although he has not managed to secure a century in the series so far, he remains hopeful of changing his fortunes at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
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