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Usman Khawaja reveals rheumatoid arthritis battle during Australia career

The former Australia opener said he feared he would die after being diagnosed at 22.

By , Editor

· 1 min read

Usman Khawaja
Usman Khawaja (file photo) Photo: Kumarr2 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Usman Khawaja has disclosed that he lived with rheumatoid arthritis throughout his international career, keeping it secret from teammates while playing 88 Tests for Australia.

Key takeaways

  • Khawaja played 88 Tests for Australia.
  • He was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 22.
  • He kept the illness secret from teammates, including David Warner and Michael Hussey.
  • He said he feared he would die after doctors struggled to find the cause of knee pain.
  • He manages the condition with regular injections he called a godsend.

Usman Khawaja has revealed that he lived with rheumatoid arthritis for much of his Australia career, keeping the condition secret from teammates. The former opener, who represented Australia in 88 Tests, made the disclosure months after retiring from international cricket. Hindustan Times reported that Khawaja was diagnosed at 22 and feared his cricketing dream would end before it began.

What we know

Khawaja said he believed he had a terminal illness after doctors initially struggled to determine the cause of pain in his left knee. He told Australian Story that he went from being an athlete playing professional cricket to not being able to walk 10 metres to the bathroom. Medical and coaching staff and administrators knew about the illness, but teammates did not, because Khawaja did not want special treatment or risk the disease being used against him.

Close friends David Warner and Michael Hussey had no idea of his condition. Khawaja scored 6,229 international runs for Australia, including 16 centuries. He became the first Pakistan-born player to represent Australia. He lost his Test place on eight occasions and scored twin centuries of 137 and 101 not out in the Sydney Ashes Test in January 2022 at the age of 35.

Why it matters

Khawaja hopes sharing his diagnosis will offer hope to others living with autoimmune diseases. He has detailed his battle in his soon-to-be-released autobiography, Sabr. Speaking to Australian Story, Khawaja said, "I genuinely thought I was going to die."

What happens next

Khawaja said he manages his condition with regular injections of a drug he described as a godsend. He said without that drug he would never have played cricket again or lived a normal life again.

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