- Muslim cricket star made revelation on ABC TV show
- Was asked to bring in two of his most cherished possessions
Aussie cricket star Usman Khawaja has explained why he’d save his baggy green cap and leave behind his copy of the Quran in an emergency in a hilarious and revealing TV interview.
The 37-year-old batter appeared on the ABC program Shaun Micalllef’s Eve of Destruction on Wednesday night, with all guests asked to bring in two of their most cherished possessions.
Khawaja chose the famous piece of Aussie cricketing attire and his well-read copy of Islam’s holy book – and like all the stars who appear on the show, he was asked which one he’d leave behind if he had to escape a dangerous event.
‘Actually, it’s very easy, I’d leave behind the Quran, I’d take the baggy green,’ he told Micallef.
‘The Quran has been memorised by millions of people around the world.
‘It’s one of the easiest books to have access to, so I’ll take the baggy green.’
Earlier in the show, Khawaja revealed that he makes notes in his copy of the Quran as things occurred to him during his regular readings of the famous text – and Micallef asked if he’d be worried about losing those.
‘I’ll make new notes,’ he said to laughter from the audience.
Usman Khawaja had a well thought-out reason for saying he’d take his baggy green cap and leave his copy of the Quran behind in an emergency when he appeared on Shaun Micallef’s ABC TV show on Wednesday (pictured)
The star opening batter (pictured right with teammate Mitchell Marsh) went into detail about his love of Islam’s holiest text
He also explained how his wife Rachel (pictured at their wedding) keeps giving him fresh perspectives on Muslim life after converting to the religion
The 73-Test veteran had a lot to say about his faith and his wife Rachel, who wasn’t born Muslim but converted to the faith in 2017, about a year before their marriage.
‘Honestly, the best thing I could’ve done was to marry someone who didn’t grow up Islamic,’ he said.
‘Rachel is a Muslim – she converted – [and] the questions she asks are great.
‘I’ve done it [be Muslim] my whole life … I do certain things because that’s what I’ve [always] done, and she’s like, “But then why do you do this?” and I’m like, “Actually, that’s a bloody good question, I don’t know!”
‘So she’s got the fresh eyes and it gives you fresh eyes as well?’ Micallef asked.
‘Yeah, it’s been one of the greatest blessings I’ve had, because it’s great to see it from a different perspective,’ Khawaja said.
‘That makes you go and look into it, understand it more, read more about it.’
Khawaja said Rachel often asks him ‘bloody good questions’ he doesn’t know the answers to when they discuss Islam
The star opener also joked about why his baggy green cap is in such poor condition compared to the ones his teammates wear.
‘There’s probably more p**s on their hats too than there is on mine,’ he laughed, before quickly explaining that he meant alcohol, not urine.
‘I really need to clear this up – I forget I’m on TV sometimes,’ he said.
‘I don’t drink alcohol … I’ve been sprayed with it in change rooms and what not, but the guys [his teammates] probably don’t spray me as much because they know I don’t drink it.’
In 2022, Khawaja revealed that his teammates brought their traditional champagne-spraying celebration to a halt so he could join in after they took the Ashes series over England.
Rachel has previously opened up about her adoption of Islam, which saw her perform a special Islamic marriage ceremony called nikah in 2017.
‘We got his family up [from Sydney] and my family came and we had an intimate ceremony with the Imam,’ she explained.
Khawaja popped the question during a horse and carriage ride through New York’s famous Central Park on her 21st birthday in June 2016.
