Usman Khawaja recounted his experience with the crowds in the 2023 Ashes as one of the worst ones he has ever encountered in any cricket tour while speaking to Aadam Patel for Wisden Cricket Monthly.

The 2023 Ashes was a theatrical experience for a multitude of reasons. From the hype around the contrasting playing styles from the two teams to a seemingly perpetual Spirit of Cricket debate, to close, dramatic finishes, the 2023 Ashes had it all. And Khawaja often found himself at the centre of a lot of the action.

With 496 runs, Khawaja was the highest scorer in the series. However, he was also in the news for other reasons, including but not limited to his intervention with the ICC regarding over-rate penalties that forced a rule change mid-series; his interactions in the Lord’s Long Room after the infamous Jonny Bairstow stumping; and his recent jokes on the ball-change incident from the last Test match, at the Kia Oval.

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Khawaja came into the series on the back of a brilliant run for more than a year, but his poor record on previous Ashes tours meant not many people gave him a chance to succeed. He revealed that the constant criticism of his records had brought out his aggressive celebration upon reaching a hundred in the first Test at Edgbaston.

“The frustrating thing was that I had such a good 18 months but as soon as I came here, people kept talking about me in England, bringing up 2013 and 2019. I guess that’s the nature of the game, but it was as if no one cared or bothered to look into my recent successes. As I’m going to the nets, people saying that I can’t score runs here. That’s when it really struck me.

“So the celebration was all the chained-up emotion. I don’t know why I dropped the bat, but it was probably the culmination of having three Ashes tours here and getting dropped in two of them.”

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Khawaja did not mince his words while speaking about the crowd during the Ashes: “The crowd this time was far worse than anything I’ve ever experienced. That second morning at Edgbaston, getting sprayed left, right and centre.

“I had some of the strongest language and aggression directed at me of all my cricket trips. The vibe was so different and it felt more like a football crowd. Maybe Bazball helps to attract a different dynamic. I know that England players get sprayed by our crowds too, and I’m not a fan of that either, but this was constant chat along the lines of, ‘You’re crap, you’re shit, you’re useless, you can’t score runs here’.”

Khawaja also spoke on the abuse he and fellow Australians copped inside the Lord’s Long Room during the lunch interval on the fifth day of the second Ashes Test match, and how it shocked him given the reputation of the place: “Walking back through the Long Room, I couldn’t believe what was said.

“I was like, ‘This is meant to be the gold standard of cricket’. Lord’s is meant to be a special place where they’ll clap you off whether you get a duck or a hundred, but after Edgbaston, I wasn’t just going to stand by and cop it. I never go up to anyone without a reason but I’ll always stand up for myself. People take my politeness as a weakness but if you come for me, I’ll come right back.”

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