ONE HOUR BEFORE selectors name the Australian squad for the first Ashes Test, Usman Khawaja sits down with Men’s Health feeling relaxed. There’s no tension in his shoulders and no nervous tapping. He’s carrying himself with the same calmness he brings to the crease. When we ask whether he can assure us he’ll be in the XI, he chuckles. “Yes, I should be.” It’s not arrogance. At 38, Khawaja’s cricket is as good as it’s ever been, because he looks after himself.
In his late thirties, Khawaja is playing with the poise and clarity of someone who understands his body better than ever. That understanding is crucial, because while knowing what to do has gotten easier, other things have gotten harder.
“It’s harder to maintain muscle and do all these things that were easy when I was 25,” he says. Where a young, fast-metabolising opener could once get by on instinct, Khawaja now leans on data, tracking his exertion, output and recovery through the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 classic he keeps strapped to his wrist. He monitors his calories burned and matches them with his nutrition, looking for balance in a sport where overworking is easy and under-fuelling is costly. “It’s hard to get an objective gauge on how I’m feeling otherwise,” he says. “You can’t lie to your fitness tracker.”
But the tech does more than guide his training, it’s also become essential to his recovery. According to Khawaja, he’s long been known among teammates as one of the squad’s elite sleepers, and he laughs knowingly when the topic comes up. “There’s no form of recovery like sleep,” he says. Tracking his nights helps him optimise the thing he relies on most. And at this stage of his career, quality recovery isn’t optional.
Khawaja’s late-career evolution hasn’t just been physical. Fatherhood has forced him to rethink how he structures his days, helping him improve his time efficiency. “This morning I woke up, went through my morning ritual, took my daughter to school, and then I squeezed in a one-hour session in the gym because I don’t have time to do it during any other part of my day,” he says.
There’s no room for procrastination or ‘I’ll do it later’ excuses. “You’ll start missing sessions if you have that mentality,” he says, and he knows because he’s lived it. “That was something I struggled with for a few years but I feel like I’m better at it now.”
Within the Australian dressing room, Khawaja now plays the role of the veteran. He feels it’s his duty to guide the new generation into the squad, without imposing himself. “Athletes need to get as much information as they can to figure out what works for them,” he says. “As much as I’ve grown into this game, I can recognise that one size doesn’t fit all. So while I do try to pass on some knowledge to the younger guys, I’m mindful that there are some things they need to figure out for themselves to learn what works for them.”
For as long as he has hung onto his place atop Australia’s batting order, Khawaja insists he isn’t clinging to cricket. If anything, he seems at peace with what comes next. “To be honest, I’m looking forward to playing with my kids more,” he says, when we ask what he has planned post-retirement.
There’ll likely be a commentary gig awaiting him – he already has a contract with Fox Sports – and he’s been chipping away at an MBA at Bond University. Mostly, though, he plans to enjoy the freedom when it comes. “I’ll probably just enjoy retirement for a bit,” he admits.
And what of the Ashes? If you’re expecting chest-beating bravado, go read about another cricketer. “Anyone can win. That’s why we love Test cricket,” Khawaja says. “I’ve seen some people saying we can’t lose – well no, anyone can lose.” When pressed, he does allow some optimism. “That being said, we have a very good, very mature team with some great bowlers and batsmen. We tick all the boxes. I never like to count my chickens, but I like our chances.”
As the first Ashes test approaches, Khawaja stands ready to steer the ship from atop the batting order once more. At 38, he’s as sharp as ever, and still very much the composed presence Australia needs.
