Ex-Ashes winner urges Usman Khawaja to retire on his own terms

Usman Khawaja (Source: Robbie Stephenson/PA Images via Getty Images)

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has opined Usman Khawaja on announcing his retirement game as Australia’s last game of the ongoing Ashes 2025-26. The fifth and final Test of the rivalry series will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground, which is also the home ground for the 39-year-old New South Wales batter.

Vaughan advised Khawaja to take control of his own path and not let fans and cricketing pundits have their say while speaking on how the SCG Test will be the ideal send-off for the veteran.

“I would say to Usman, ‘Don’t let them decide. You decide your destiny.’ When someone has been playing for so long, we’ve just got to let them decide. Usman has had an incredible career and not many get the chance to say goodbye on their own terms at their own venue,” Vaughan was quoted as saying by Sydney Morning Herald.

Vaughan, who famously captained England to Ashes 2005 win, flagged a note of caution to Khawaja for if he does not call the SCG Test his last one. He felt that the Islamabad-born’s place in the squad will turn out to be more uncertain, considering his age and recent form.

“If he doesn’t do that, he runs the risk of his career ending not on his own terms. I can’t think of a better way to say goodbye than at his home ground in an Ashes series. If Uzzie has got the energy and capacity to really want to fight on, yeah, I could see that happening, but leaving in Sydney in an Ashes series sounds pretty good to me,” he added.

Khawaja has averaged 25.93 and 36.11 over the past couple of years in Tests. He could manage only one fifty and one ton in 2025. Speaking of the 39-year-old’s form in the Ashes, which Australia have already won by a 3-1 margin, he has scored 153 runs in five innings with a sole half-century. He has played 87 Tests, 40 ODIs and nine T20Is and has scored 8,001 runs across international cricket.

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