Usman Khawaja‘s announcement of his retirement game as Australia’s final Ashes match of 2025–2026 has been discussed by former England captain Michael Vaughan. The 39-year-old New South Wales batter’s home stadium, the Sydney Cricket stadium, will host the fifth and final Test match of the rivalry series.
Vaughan talked about how the SCG Test will be the perfect farewell for the veteran and urged Khawaja to take charge of his own destiny and not listen to cricket fans and commentators.
“Don’t let them decide,” I would advise Usman. Your fate is up to you. We have to let the person who has been playing for a long time make the final decision. The Sydney Morning Herald cited Vaughan as stating, “Usman has had an incredible career and not many get the chance to say goodbye on their own terms at their own venue.”
Vaughan, who famously led England to victory in the 2005 Ashes, warned Khawaja not to declare the SCG Test his final one.
Given his age and recent performance, he believed that the Islamabad-born player’s spot in the team would become less assured.
He stands the risk of having his career terminated against his will if he doesn’t accomplish that. There is no greater way for me to bid him farewell than at his home field during an Ashes series. He continued, “I could see that happening if Uzzie has the stamina and ability to really want to fight on, but I think leaving in Sydney in an Ashes series sounds pretty good.”
In Test matches over the last two years, Khawaja has averaged 25.93 and 36.11. In 2025, he was only able to handle one fifty and one tonne. The 39-year-old has amassed 153 runs in five innings with just one half-century in the Ashes, which Australia has already won by a 3-1 score. He has amassed 8,001 runs in international cricket while participating in 87 Test matches, 40 ODIs, and nine T20Is.
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