Usman Khawaja slams ‘outrageous’ and ‘completely false’ allegations amid Queensland cricket dispute

Usman Khawaja has expressed his outrage over the “shocking” accusations directed at him by officials from Queensland cricket.

Facing the media in Brisbane on Friday, Khawaja responded two days after Queensland cricket chief Joe Dawes publicly conveyed the disappointment felt by the Bulls about Khawaja attending the Formula 1 event in Melbourne while his state team was engaged in a Sheffield Shield match.

The Bulls managed to secure a draw, earning a place in the Shield final against South Australia next week. Whether Khawaja will be part of that match is still uncertain.

Khawaja claimed Dawes crafted a narrative that is “categorically false” following implications that he had exaggerated a hamstring injury to avoid playing in the match.

“The most disappointing aspect for me was that I aimed to keep this situation private, behind the scenes, but that’s clearly not the case anymore,” Khawaja stated, donning a Queensland Bulls shirt.

“Joe Dawes made some inflammatory comments recently, which I found quite disappointing as a player.

“After that, I felt compelled to speak out and present my version of events.

“Joe stated that the medical team had no knowledge of my hamstring injury. That is entirely incorrect. I’ve had discussions with both our physios and the Australian medical staff.

“To hear that was one of the most shocking remarks I’ve ever encountered and is utterly false. I just wished to clarify that.”

Dawes had asserted that he was unaware of Khawaja’s hamstring issue.

“I rely on our medical staff, and there was no reason he couldn’t have participated in the last game,” he said in a public statement on Wednesday.

“It’s disheartening that he didn’t play for Queensland when he had the chance. I have a group of players here who are all eager to play.”

The suggestion implied that the 38-year-old opted out of the Shield game to attend the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

Queensland cricket legend Ian Healy also criticised Khawaja on his SEN radio show, proposing that Cricket Australia should have compelled Khawaja to be available for the Shield match, in light of other Test players not participating in the tournament following their return from Sri Lanka.

“When he’s in the team environment, he is fine. It’s this pick-and-choose mentality evident in his later years that has left Queensland dissatisfied,” Healy remarked.

“Cricket Australia should be feeling the pressure regarding this… I spoke with them, and they were unaware of Queensland’s concerns about him not playing for the state and wished we had reached out to them sooner.”

“Given that this was the final round of the Sheffield Shield to get into the final… I wanted Cricket Australia to feel some pressure for allowing this situation to unfold.”

Khawaja commenced his domestic career with New South Wales before transitioning to Queensland after the 2011/12 season.