Former Australian opener Usman Khawaja has alleged being subjected to racial abuse during the 2023 Ashes at Lord’s. Khawaja, in his autobiography Sabr, mentioned being called a racial slur in Lord’s Long Room by an MCC member. The incident is understood to have occurred after the Jonny Bairstow dismissal controversy.
Khawaja recalls racial abuse in Lord’s Long Room
Footage broadcast as the Australian team returned for lunch on day four of the Lord’s Test revealed Khawaja getting into a verbal altercation with MCC members, who were booing and jeering the Australian team.
“It was like a pack of dogs about to feast on their next meals,” wrote Usman. “They were in unison, swearing, calling us ‘F-ing this’, and ‘F-that’, ‘C-nts this’. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. At first, I just laughed, mostly in shock.
“Was this the Long Room? Part of the most prestigious, noble cricket club in the world, where the waiting list was over 30 years? Or were we with the Hollies [Edgbaston’s notorious party stand]? And no disrespect to the Hollies, because they never treated us like this.”
MCC members faced suspensions and expulsion
Khawaja was born in Pakistan before moving to Australia in his early childhood. He alleged that one of the members called him a “P**i”, a racial slur for people of Pakistani heritage. MCC suspended three members following the Test for “abusive, offensive or inappropriate behaviour or language” and launched an investigation into the incident.
One of these members was expelled, while the other two served suspensions of four and a half years and 30 months. Additionally, following the investigation, more punishments were handed to involved members.
“As we kept walking, I pulled up when someone shouted right into my ear – as there was only a rope and about 20 centimetres between us. ‘Don’t you dare scream in my ear again, you dickhead,’ I said to the first guy. Then, as I walked on, I heard someone else say, ‘Shut up, you P**i.’ I lost it.”
Khawaja added: “I don’t know who this was exactly. I want to clarify that I know a few people got bans from the MCC. All I know is I confronted the first bloke I saw, who I thought it was. He was still shouting, spitting and screaming in my face, so I could only assume it was him. I told security, ‘Get this guy out of here!”
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