Usman Khawaja called poor teammate by Ian Healy, accused of faking hamstring injury
Former Australia wicketkeeper Ian Healy has launched a scathing attack on Usman Khawaja, accusing the veteran opener of being a poor teammate and questioning his claim of a hamstring injury that kept him out of a Sheffield Shield match last year.
The fresh controversy erupted after Khawaja addressed his strained relationship with Healy in his autobiography, Sabr. The former Australia captain, however, has hit back at the opener, insisting that his criticism stemmed from what he believed was a lack of honesty and commitment towards Queensland.
The incident dates back to last year when Khawaja attended the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne instead of turning out for Queensland in a Sheffield Shield match. Khawaja maintained that he was unavailable because of a hamstring injury.
However, Healy, who is the deputy chair of Queensland Cricket, disputed the explanation during an appearance on SEN radio on Thursday.
"The one that might have broken the camel's back was this Grand Prix one," said Healy, a former Australia ODI captain.
"I didn't know at the time he was going to the Grand Prix, and neither did his (Queensland) team. He didn't even tell the team why he wasn't playing, right."
Healy claimed that the medical staff at Queensland had found no evidence of a hamstring injury after examining Khawaja and questioning his decision to miss the match.
"Then he claimed an injury, so I then sussed out with all sorts of medicos in our dressing room and our head of high performance, and they denied the injury.
"They tested him structurally and functionality-wise, and they said 'there's no hammy (injury), you're right to play.' He didn't say that in his book.
"And then they (medicos) said, 'but let's get it scanned this afternoon,' and he refused to scan. So, that's what I was going on."HEALY QUESTIONS KHWAJA’S COMMITMENTS
The former wicketkeeper further expressed disappointment with Khawaja's decision, questioning his commitment to his Queensland teammates.
"It's a shame that he doesn't support his team better than that, and then we found out he's going to the Grand Prix," Healy said.
The latest exchange adds another chapter to the strained relationship between the two Australians. Healy had previously criticised Khawaja for skipping another Queensland fixture at the Adelaide Oval, just a fortnight before Australia were scheduled to play a Test at the same venue.
Khawaja's decision to address the criticism in Sabr has now brought the disagreement back into the spotlight, with Healy making it clear that he stands by his assessment of the situation.
Despite the controversy, Khawaja has enjoyed a significant career with Queensland. He represented the Bulls in 64 first-class matches, scoring 4,317 runs at an average of 45.44. He also featured in 55 one-day matches, accumulating 2,634 runs at an impressive average of 50.65.
Khawaja captained Queensland from 2015 to 2024 and played a key role in the team's Sheffield Shield triumph in the 2020-21 season.- Ends
