Australian cricketer and centurion of Karachi Test Usman Khawaja has become the centre of attention for cricket fans in the metropolis.
There were an estimated 10,000 spectators at the National Stadium on Sunday to witness the second day’s play between Pakistan and Australia.
They all gave a standing ovation to Usman Khawaja and chanted slogans “Khawaja, Khawaja” when he walked back after scoring 160. The Austra-lian cricketer also remained a major icon on various placards flashed by spectators during the play. Some of the spectators, for instance, displayed a placard in which they mixed up politics, cricket, and humour by using pictures of Usman Khawaja and politician Khawaja Asif. The placard read: “The Khawaja Pakistan Needs, The Khawaja Pakistan has.”
A female cricket fan in Fazal Mahmood enclo-sure copied the lyrics of AR Rehman’s Qawali “Khawaja mere Khawaja, di main Samaa Jaa” while another one had rephrased the lyrics to write “Kha-waja mere Khawaja, Nazimabad aaja, Aussies ka bhai tu, Pakistan ka bhi Raja”.
Fan holding a placard during the second day’s play between Pakistan and Australia. — Faizan Lakhani
Fan holding a placard during the second day’s play between Pakistan and Australia. — Faizan Lakhani
Another fan used Bilawal’s famous slip of the tongue to highlight his frustration on the wicket for the Karachi Test by writing “aisee wicket pe bowlers ki kaanpain taang jaati hain”.
It wasn’t only Khawaja who dominated fans’ placards but they also came up with witty, honest, and innovative ones for other cricketers as well. For instance, a little fan mentioned that she had completed her homework quickly so that she could see Shaheen Afridi in action while another stated that he wants to see Babar Azam and David Warner opening innings for Karachi Kings in Pakistan Super League.—Agencies
