Since Australia's emphatic 4-0 Ashes series win, a celebration video of Pat Cummins and co. has been making rounds on social media. In the video, Cummins stops his teammates from doing the usual champagne celebration to include Usman Khawaja in the group photo with the trophy. Cummins gesture has been appreciated across the world and a day after Ashes series win, Khawaja has thanked his team for including him.
When the Australian team was about to have a champagne celebration on the podium, Khawaja moved away but was called back to the stage. The Pakistan-born Australian cricketer took to Instagram and posted the video with caption reading, “If this video doesn't show you that the boys have my back, I don't know what will. They stopped their normal champagne celebrations so I could re-join. Inclusivity in the game and our values as a sport are so important. I feel like we are trending in the right direction.”
Australia defeated England by 146 runs to win the Ashes 4-0 at Hobart. Khawaja returned to the Australian Test side after being axed from the team in 2019. Batting at number five, Khawaja scored centuries in both innings of the Sydney Test. However, he was not impressive in the Hobart Test while opening the batting in place of Marcus Harris as Head returned to the middle order after recovering from Covid-19.
As a captain, this was Cummins’s first Test series. He was brilliant with the ball and was the highest wicket-taker for Australia with 21 wickets from four Test against his name. The no.1 Test bowler missed out on the second Test after he was a close contact of Covid-affect person.
In the final Test of the Ashes 2021-22, Australia scored 303 runs courtesy of a magnificent century by Head and Cameron Green's 74 run knock. In reply, England were bowled out for 188 runs as Cummins registered a four-wicket haul. The Aussies were then dismissed for a low total of 155 runs with Alex Carey scoring the most runs - 49 off 88 balls. Mark Wood was exceptional with the ball for England as he picked six wickets in Australia's second innings. Broad picked up three wickets as well for the second time in the match. Chasing a challenging target of 271, England were bundled out for 124 in the last session of Day 3 of the fifth Test despite a solid opening stand.
