Usman Khawaja won’t be divulging the comments made to him by MCC members at Lords, but hopes the fallout will improve crowd standards across the game – and especially in Australia
Usman Khawaja refuses to publicly divulge what was said in the Lord’s pavilion that made the veteran opener stop in his tracks and direct security towards a particular individual on the volcanic final day of the second Test.
However the Australian star has criticised fan behaviour in both England and back home, revealing that teammate Travis Head was labelled a “c***” by parts of the crowd during the first Test at Edgbaston.
The MCC has suspended three members amid an investigation into the ugly scenes at lunch on the final day at Lord’s in which the Australian team was subjected to torrents of abuse as it walked through the Long Room after Alex Carey’s controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow.
Khawaja appeared particularly aggrieved at the time, shown on multiple camera angles to have taken exception to something he’d heard and identifying at least one alleged culprit.
Asked what had so riled him, Khawaja opted against expanding.
“I’m just going to leave it there. MCC are all over it. I trust them to do the right thing,” Khawaja said.
Khawaja had also been pressed on whether he thought there was a place in cricket for those who had delivered the abuse, offering a similar response.
“I just won’t comment on that. It’s for the MCC to handle. It’s got nothing to do with me,” Khawaja said.
But on the broader issue of crowd behaviour, Khawaja said standards had to improve.
“I mean, they’re rough. If you talk about it to England guys, they say we are equally as rough when (they go to Australia),” Khawaja said.
“I don’t agree with it either way. I don’t think it’s the right thing to do. Personally if I am coming to the cricket and watching the cricket, I wouldn’t want my kids to be around that. If I saw that I would 100 per cent make a complaint or just leave. I think some of the stuff can be pretty poor.”
“Over at Edgbaston they were calling Travis Head a C, U you know what. I’m like I can’t believe you can actually say that in a public domain anywhere. It can be a little disappointing at times, and I think we can take it too far in Australia.
“The same thing happens in Australia. I’m not a big fan of it. I know watching a lot of sport and loving sport that it happens around the world. You watch the NBA it happens there. Particularly when crowds can get real close to you, which they can in cricket. It is what it is, I don’t agree with it. I have been doing it my whole life, it doesn’t bother me. And if it doesn’t, I will let them know.”
The opener meanwhile praised the ICC for heeding player feedback by loosening rules around over-rate restrictions.
While teams will continue to be penalised one World Test Championship point for every over behind they are in a Test match, no penalties will apply for innings in which a team is bowled out inside 80 overs.
“I appreciate the ICC actually listening to players,” Khawaja said.
“Wasim Khan there at the ICC talked to us about the stuff and got feedback from the players. Its the first time I have had that with the ICC. No one has really mentioned that. I thought I would get out there and mention it because it is pretty cool.”