USMAN KHAWAJA has lived a colourful life on and off the pitch.
Here, we take a look at who he and his partner Rachel.
Rachel and Usman got engaged just a year after meetingCredit: Instagram @rachelmkhawaja
Rachel and Usman have a third child on the wayCredit: Instagram @rachelmkhawaja
Who is Usman Khawaja’s wife Rachel?
Rachel Khawaja is a 29-year-old with dual citizenship for both and New Zealand.
She is a business development manager and reporter at 7 .
7 Cricket is the Australian production and broadcast brand that covers major cricketing events.
Rachel graduated from the University of New South Wales with a degree in marketing.
Rachel and Usman met at university in 2015 and got engaged in 2016 before marrying in 2018.
Rachel made the decision to convert from Catholicism to Islam before her marriage to Usman.
She has clarified that the decision was made without pressure, purely out of love and understanding.
The pair have two daughters: Aisha and Ayla.
Rachel is currently pregnant with her third baby.
In a recent Instagram post about their new addition, Rachel wrote in the caption, “Beyond excited for our little family to grow! This baby is already so loved, so many times throughout the day the girls will ask about the baby, how’s it’s doing or even how I’m doing.”
They are very supportive of Usman’s sporting career. In August Rachel posted a video of the Aisha and Ayla in the crowd of one of their Dad’s matches captioned, “Forever grateful we have been able to share this cricket journey with our kids”.
Aisha and Ayla via Rachel’s Instagram, cheering their Dad on as he plays cricket
Who is Usman Khawaja?
was born December 18, 1986 in Pakistan.
When he was a toddler his family moved to Australia and settled in New South Wales.
Before his career in professional cricket he considered a life in aviation.
He graduated with a BA in aviation from the University of New South Wales and even became a qualified commercial and instrument rated pilot before he played professional cricket.
Khawaja made his professional debut in 2011 in series where he became the first Muslim to ever play for Australia.
He continued to impress until 2014 where he unfortunately had to take 6 months away from the game to heal a knee injury.
It was back to his usual top notch game when he returned in 2015 and impressed Rod Marsh’s selection panel.
More leadership roles presented themselves when he was named Captain of Queensland for the 2015-2016 season.
Now, he represents the Australian National Cricket team in test cricket, captains the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League and plays for Queensland at domestic level.
