Ashes 2023: If I’m coming to the cricket, I wouldn’t want my kids around, says Usman Khawaja – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Usman Khawaja believes the abuse from crowds towards players in England and Australia has become far too much.

The Aussie left-hander was involved in a confrontation with MCC members in the Lord’s pavillion after the controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow. That incident led to three members being suspended.

However, he expressed equal concern about what the kids in the stands heard when they came to watch cricket.

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After the Bairstow incident, Alex Carey said they heard from “nasty stuff” from the English crowd.

“Personally, if I am coming to the cricket and watching the cricket, I wouldn’t want my kids to be around that,” Khawaja said ahead of the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford.

“If I saw that I would 100 percent make a complaint or just leave. I think some of the stuff can be pretty poor. Over at Edgbaston they were calling Travis Head a c… you know what. I’m like I can’t believe you can actually say that in a public domain anywhere.”

England players have said in the past that they’ve received equally vile reception when they’ve travelled to Australia for the Ashes. Khawaja maintained he doesn’t condone that either.

“If you talk about it to England guys, they say we are equally as rough when [they go to Australia]. I don’t agree with it either way. I don’t think it’s the right thing to do,” Khawaja said.

“It can be a little disappointing at times, and I think we can take it too far in Australia. I’m not a big fan of it. I know watching a lot of sport and loving sport that it happens around the world. You watch the NBA [and] it happens there. Particularly when crowds can get real close to you, which they can in cricket. It is what it is, I don’t agree with it.”

Khawaja refused to be drawn further into the events that unfolded in the Lord’s pavillion. “I’m just going to leave it there,” he said. “MCC are all over it. I trust them to do the right thing.”