Usman Khawaja, one of the rising stars in international cricket today, was born in Islamabad, Pakistan, but moving Down Under with his family as a young boy, he did most of his growing up in New South Wales, Australia.

Khawaja first donned the Australian colours during the ICC Under-19 World Cup, held in Sri Lanka in 2006. In the semi-final, chasing a target of 287 there, Australia’s batting lineup bundled out for 124 thanks to a formidable Pakistani bowling lineup featured young all rounder Anwar Ali. Khawaja, playing against his native country, showed maturity and class with a solid knock of 59, when his team was in the doldrums.

In England it is usual for non-native cricketers to represent their adopted country, but in Australia things have been quite different, which made Khawaja’s selection in Australia’s Test side all the more significant. Not only is Khawaja the first Muslim but also the first Pakistani to represent Australia in Test cricket.

He was born in Pakistan but he dons the Australian cap when going out to play

The 28-year-old made his Test debut against England at his home turf Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in 2011. The news about his Test selection brought out much respect for him not only in the Pakistani community, but also among the Indian, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan communities in Australia. People from those communities considered him one of their own and felt proud of his success in reaching the highest level of the game. During these years, Khawaja has become a role model for the kids from migrant families in Australia.

His debut saw the SCG crowd giving him a huge reception when he came out to bat for the first time in the Test match. Khawaja’s proud parents were also present in the stands at the time to watch their son make history.

For any cricketer the pressure of making a Test debut is huge, especially in front of the home crowd but this lad also had to face added pressure of replacing the injured Ricky Ponting at one down position. Still this confident young left-handed batsman was not overcome by the occasion. The second ball he faced from Chris Tremlett, he dispatched to the mid-wicket boundary for four.

During 2011 and 2013, Khawaja went through a lean period. He was part of the Australian Test team and got opportunities to play Tests in Sri Lanka, South Africa and England but had little success. After a two-year hiatus Khawaja was recalled in the recently-concluded series against New Zealand. He made 174 at Brisbane Cricket Ground or Gabba, as they call it, and 121 runs at the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA) ground at Perth. But during the second Test, he injured his hamstring, which ruled him out of the historic third Test, the first ever day and night Test at Adelaide.

Fortunately for Khawaja it did not take long for him to make a comeback in the Test team. All doubts regarding his fitness were laid to rest when playing for Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League where he made an unbeaten 109 in a swashbuckling innings against the Melbourne Stars at the MCG last year.

Khawaja hit a purple patch quite early in his career. On his comeback match, he continued from where he had left off. In the recent Boxing Day Test against the West Indies, he made 144 in the first and 56 runs in the second innings. So far he has made 881 runs with a healthy batting average of 46 in 13 Test matches. In first-class cricket, he has 6,094 runs with an average of 42 to his name.

Khawaja, playing against his native country, Pakistan, showed maturity and class with a solid knock of 59, when his team was in the doldrums.

Not many people know that Khawaja is also a qualified pilot with a valid commercial license. During the tour to India in 2013, he actually walked up to the cockpit and flew the plane for a while from Hyderabad to Mohali.

The difference between Usman Khawaja and other Australian Test batsmen is that when the former goes out to bat, he has wholehearted backing and support of at least two nations (Australia and Pakistan) if not more.

Twitter: @CaughtAtPoint

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, January 24th, 2016