CRICKET is a game of records and firsts. Now, little more than a month after the furious row about race and sportsmanship exploded at the Sydney Test match, one young cricketer is ready to step up from the grade ranks and step out on to the SCG.
In doing so, Usman Khawaja's primary focus will be on a solid start to his first-class career. But, coming so close after the Sydney Test exposed the wide gulf between Australia and the subcontinent, Khawaja, 21, will be flying the flag for a new generation of Australian cricketers.
A handful of Australian first-class players have traced their origins to the subcontinent. Khawaja, born in Islamabad, Pakistan, arrived in Australia aged four and is believed to be the first Australian Muslim to play interstate cricket. "[The first] local player, maybe. I think it is," Khawaja said. "I'm just too stoked to be in the team to even worry about it. I'm too happy." Last year, Khawaja was captaining the Pakistan side in Sydney's annual Cricket Masala competition, a celebration of the many cultures which play the game. On Friday, he'll be opening the batting in the top-of-the-table clash with Victoria to decide whether NSW will host the Pura Cup final.
Meanwhile, he completed a bachelor of aviation at the University of NSW, allowing him to find work as a commercial pilot.
But instead of flying, Khawaja, only a month after finishing the course, has grounded himself. "I'm a fully qualified pilot now but I'm taking time off - indefinitely," he said, having put sport on the backburner for the time it's taken to earn his degree.
"Finally, cricket is No.1. I've been waiting for quite a while to just play cricket, to concentrate on it. It's pretty much perfect timing. I've got nothing else on my mind."
Not that his studies have been a complete distraction. Australian under-19s coach Brian McFadyen has had his eye on Khawaja for some years. "He impressed us with his ability to play off both the front and back feet," McFadyen said. "He won cricketer of the championship at the Australian under-19s in Perth and he was very impressive on the world stage."
In Sydney grade cricket this summer, Khawaja tops the batting figures, garnering 907 runs at 60.47, and he has been invited to the AIS Cricket Centre of Excellence this winter.
Cricket historian Kersi Meher-Homji believes Khawaja is the first local Muslim to play at this level. Mark Lavender, a West Australian batsman of the 1990s, was born in Chennai, India, while Dav Whatmore, born in Sri Lanka, played seven Tests for Australia. "But I think this is a big breakthrough," Meher-Homji said.
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