Photo Credit: Queensland Cricket
Queensland Cricket has congratulated Queensland Bulls captain and Australian Test batsman Usman Khawaja on his elevation to the position of a ‘Queensland Great’.
The Queensland Government unveiled its latest additions to the ‘Queensland Greats’ list which is revealed yesterday to coincide with Queensland Day.
A total of 115 individuals, 18 institutions and 8 posthumous recipients have been honoured as Queensland Greats since 2001.
Queensland Greats are honoured with commemorative plaques displayed proudly at Roma Street Parkland, Brisbane.
Khawaja joins Allan Border, Matthew Hayden and the late Bill Brown as Queensland cricketers who have been included on the honour roll.
The elegant left-hander is preparing for Australia’s upcoming tour of Sri Lanka later this month but joined his fellow 2022 inductees at City Hall last night.
The 2022 Queensland Greats were revealed Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who paid tribute to their achievements, advocacy, creativity, and community spirit.
Another Queensland Great announced last night, koala researcher and conservationist Professor Peter Timms, also has strong cricket credentials.
Professor Timms played first grade cricket for Northern Suburbs and University of Queensland and continues to play the game as captain of the Sunshine Coast Division One veterans cricket team.
Queensland Cricket CEO Terry Svenson congratulated Khawaja on his latest accomplishment.
“On behalf of the Queensland Cricket family, we’re delighted for Usman who continues to excel as a player, leader and community advocate,” he said.
“He joins august company, both in this year’s intake, and in his fellow players in Bill Brown, Matthew Hayden and Allan Border. We wish him the best for the coming tour and season ahead.”
Khawaja brought up a decade with the Bulls this off-season, linking with Queensland from NSW in 2012-13. He took over as Queensland captain in 2015.
He made a stirring return to the national team last summer, scoring a century in each innings of the Fourth Vodafone Test match against England at the SCG as Australia strode to an Ashes whitewash.
The Pakistan-born Khawaja followed this with an emphatic effort on the historic tour of Pakistan, the first time Australia had toured there since 1998.
He relished the chance to shine at his birthplace, finishing as player of the series and the leading runs-scorer with 496 runs at an average of 165.33.
Away from cricket, he founded The Usman Khawaja Foundation, which runs programs that assist youth from refugee, immigrant, Indigenous, rural, remote and low-socio economic backgrounds, through introductory cricket and educational-support programs.
