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Usman Khawaja has divulged that he lacked motivation while playing Shield cricket before the Australian Test summer began. Referring to his stance in favor of Palestine amid their ongoing conflict with Israel in the Gaza Strip, the Aussie opener highlighted the need to speak to a psychologist.
In recent weeks, Khawaja has been quite vocal about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The southpaw has attempted to express his solidarity even on the field of play, but the ICC has declined his gestures, including reprimanding him once for wearing a black armband without seeking its permission.
Speaking to Fox Cricket on Monday, Khawaja revealed getting affected by this for long and felt the need to seek counseling.
"I don’t do these things on a whim – this is something that has affected me for a long time. I was playing Sheffield Shield cricket before the Test series and I was really lacking motivation. I talked to my wife Rachel, I talked to our sports psychologist Brent Membrey and Cricket Australia and told them I really am struggling for motivation right now," he explained.
After the ICC banned him from wearing 'non-compliant' shoes ahead of the first Test against Pakistan in Perth, Khawaja decided to challenge the regulations.
"Going out and playing cricket just seemed so insignificant" - Usman Khawaja
The 36-year-old further stated that playing cricket felt like the least of concerns at that stage and wanted to seek help without pushing people away.
"When I see all these people, particularly innocent kids, dying and I see videos of that happening it really has an effect on me. Going out and playing cricket just seemed so insignificant and I’m really struggling with it. It had a big impact on me. I thought long and hard about what I could do and how I could do it without segregating and pushing people aside," Khawaja added.
Khawaja has been in decent form against Pakistan and was especially outstanding in Perth, hitting 41 and 90.
Australia have already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, with the final Test beginning in Sydney on Wednesday.
