Usman Khawaja feels disappointed that Pak-India don’t play

ISLAMABAD (APP): Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja expressed his disappointment for the fact that Pakistan-India don’t play cricket now, saying growing-up watching Indo-Pak play was some of his favorite games.
“I’ve also found it really disappointing that India and Pakistan don’t play. You know growing up being from Pakistan, I think those were some of the favorite games.
We’re back here playing I think hopefully the ICC can get those two nations playing together, because we all know what competition and what great camaraderie comes from that. So I think hopefully we can get this box ticked and then you know that’s the next goal for Pakistan cricket,” he said in a presser here on Monday. On Australian team touring Pakistan after 24 years, Khawaja said the team understands the significance of coming back to Pakistan after such a long time.
“Hopefully it’s going to be a great tour, we’ll get a really good crowd, there’s a bit of buzz and excitement because there’s two really good teams facing each other.” “I have always got a lot of support here in Pakistan. The fans will support me, I think they’ll hope that I get runs but they’ll also be hoping that Australia gets smashed at the same time.” “I’ve got a couple of photos when I was younger at the Pindi ground. Being born here I think it’s going to be pretty cool walking out there (in the crowd), playing the game.
But I don’t expect a hostile crowd, I think Pakistanis love cricket and they will appreciate good cricket.” Giving his message in Urdu to the fans, Khawaja said he was overwhelmed for being in Pakistan. “I was born in Islamabad and I have been there to the Pindi Stadium. I and the whole team is very excited, we have some of the best players in the team and I was hoping the crowd will be very good.”
He said he was not really sure what the wickets were going to be like because they haven’t seen it yet. “But if we look at the past it’s been quite favorable to the fast bowlers and recently spinners have gone into the game too but when you look at other sub-continental countries Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India spin is quite dominating but it makes sense Pakistan’s always produced some really good fast bowlers, so it makes sense that wickets are conducive to fast bowling in some respects so it’s a little bit different than the other subcontinent times.
I think our first training session is tomorrow (Tuesday) so we might get a look at the wicket for the first time.” To a question, he a said even if you go to India or Bangladesh we weren’t really allowed outside the hotel room much anyway. “So other than training and playing games, it’s pretty similar I think. Boys get everything set up, they’ve got a coffee machine right there.
We’ve got a games room upstairs, there’s a pool table. We’re trying to make it as friendly as possible to get out of the room get social. Once the games starts it’ll just be about the games. We’re in a security bubble I don’t think there’s any chance to see anyone around family or not family.” Speaking about watch the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final on Sunday, he said “The guys did their own thing as everyone slept and woke up at different times but I watched the highlights this morning.”
To a question about facing Haris Rauf, Khawaja said, “I have never obviously faced him in red ball cricket and haven’t seen too much of him. But he’s got very good skills he’s very fast. On PSL, he said it was one of the world’s world-class leagues around. “The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the strongest in the world because all the world comes to them and they’re the only league in the world that have Indian cricketers.
Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), PSL and Caribbean Premier League (CPL) all are quality leagues and everyone wants to play them,” he said.
About him visiting Pakistan in all these years, he said, “So from 1991 I think I came back with my family four times. The last time was around 2010 so I haven’t been back to Pakistan in 12 years. Once I got a bit older I started playing cricket so professionally it got harder and harder to take time off. You only get two months of the year off where we can do anything so I either spent time at home or went holiday somewhere closer to Australia,” he said.