“So, yes, there might be some people who may want to just think about one incident, but he’s done so much more for the game, and I think when he retires people will realise that. You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone, and I think that will be the same with Davey.”
Following Australia’s loss to Afghanistan, the latter’s captain, Rashid Khan, spoke in favour of resuming ties with Australia, and Khawaja said that, on balance, he agreed – although he was sympathetic to the many human rights issues connected to the country’s Taliban leadership.
“I personally think, yes, we should be playing Afghanistan,” he said. “I am sympathetic to both sides of the puzzle. I totally respect and agree with a lot of aspects of the stance Cricket Australia has in terms of women’s cricket in Afghanistan, but there’s also another side to it, of promoting and growing the game.
Usman Khawaja with David Warner during Warner’s final Test match in January.Credit: Getty Images
“This is the second time Australia have backed out of a bilateral series, and I talked to Rashid Khan. He was really disappointed, more so because the Afghanistan people love cricket, and for them cricket is one of the few things they enjoy and brings happiness, and the fact they were going to play Australia was going to be huge, and they don’t get to see that now. So it actually hurts the people, and the people are separate from the government.
“When you look at it in that respect, you hurt people. And also the players have stood up for the exact same cause as CA has. Rashid has shown me his tweets, and that’s tough to do playing for Afghanistan. So then he said, ‘All you’re doing is depriving us players, too. We want to play the best team in the world and we can’t.’”
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Rashid is one of numerous Afghanistan cricketers to have taken part in the BBL over the past decade, strengthening the overseas ranks of CA’s domestic T20 tournament.
“It’s a little bit hypocritical too if we say, no, we’re not going to play Afghanistan, but then allowing Afghanistan cricketers to play in the BBL,” Khawaja said. “They 100 per cent should [play], but then how do you do one and not the other?
“We’re benefiting in the BBL from having Afghanistani players, but we’re giving no benefits back by playing them. So how can we benefit from Afghanistani cricketers in the BBL but then say we’re not going to play against you in a bilateral series?”