Test great Ian Healy accused Usman Khawaja of faking a hamstring injury to attend the Melbourne Formula 1 Grand Prix, escalating a bitter fallout from Khawaja’s autobiography Sabr.
- Book sales for Sabr are expected to surge as the war of words between Ian Healy and Usman Khawaja intensifies in the media.
The controversy stems from Khawaja’s absence from a Sheffield Shield match for Queensland last year. Khawaja addressed Healy’s initial criticism in his book Sabr, stating he skipped the fixture because he was unfit due to a hamstring injury. But Healy, serving as the deputy chair of Queensland Cricket, disputed that account during an appearance on SEN on Thursday.
“The one that might have broken the camel’s back was this Grand Prix one.”
said Ian Healy, former Australia ODI captain, told SEN.
“I didn’t know at the time he was going to the Grand Prix, and neither did his (Queensland) team. He didn’t even tell the team why he wasn’t playing, right.”
According to Healy’s radio appearance reported by nine.com.au, team medicos tested Khawaja structurally and functionality-wise and determined he was fit to play. Healy said that when staff requested an afternoon scan to verify the hamstring, Khawaja refused to undergo the imaging.
“Then he claimed an injury, so I then sussed out with all sorts of medicos in our dressing room and our head of high performance, and they denied the injury.”
“They tested him structurally and functionality-wise, and they said ‘there’s no hammy (injury), you’re right to play.’ He didn’t say that in his book. And then they (medicos) said, ‘but let’s get it scanned this afternoon,’ and he refused to scan. So, that’s what I was going on. It’s a shame that he doesn’t support his team better than that, and then we found out he’s going to the Grand Prix.”
| Format | Matches | Runs | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-Class | 64 | 4,317 | 45.44 |
| One-Day | 55 | 2,634 | 50.65 |
The pair previously clashed when Khawaja skipped another Queensland fixture at the Adelaide Oval a fortnight before a Test match at the same venue. Despite the friction, Khawaja put together a formidable record for the Bulls, playing 64 first-class matches and scoring 4,317 runs at an average of 45.44, alongside 2,634 runs in 55 one-day games.
Khawaja captained the side from 2015 to 2024, guiding Queensland to Sheffield Shield glory in the 2020–21 season. Queensland Cricket officially thanked him for a remarkable career in April following his retirement from state duties, though this latest public disagreement leaves his administrative and historical ties to the state association under severe strain.
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Queensland greats Ian Healy and Usman Khawaja have continued their long-running feud, with the former keeper slamming the ex-Bulls captain. Read more: https://t.co/hM0AhUYEaZ pic.twitter.com/iqzjRLBKoU
