Emotional Usman Khawaja brings Peter Dutton into war of words with ‘LYING’ cricket boss who left his wife absolutely furious

Australian cricket star Usman Khawaja has made a stunning revelation after being accused of ditching the Queensland Bulls to attend the Australian F1 Grand Prix in Melbourne instead.

Khawaja launched a passionate defence of his recent Sheffield Shield absence, taking aim at Queensland’s head of cricket, Joe Dawes, for what he called ‘categorically untrue’ comments.

The controversy ignited after Khawaja missed Queensland’s crucial match against South Australia, instead attending the Aussie GP with his wife. 

Dawes slammed the 38-year-old veteran, claiming Khawaja had no medical reason to sit out and accusing him of choosing not to play.

Khawaja, who fronted the media in Brisbane on Friday, revealed he had been managing a hamstring injury and had followed a plan put in place with Cricket Australia’s medical team and selector George Bailey. 

He said that he had played through pain while scoring a ton during Queensland’s previous match against Tasmania, a do-or-die game in which he scored a century.

The 38-year-old, who has had a huge year of cricket, missed the final regular season Sheffield Shield match with a hamstring complaint

Khawaja has fired back at suggestions he did not make sacrifices for his state, after revealing he played against Tasmania on one leg, despite the impending threat of Tropical Cyclone Alfred

That match coincided with Cyclone Alfred hitting Brisbane. Despite the danger, Khawaja left his young family to play for the Bulls. 

‘Hand on heart, this is the true story,’ he said. ‘I sat down with my wife and said “I should stay, I think”. But she looked me in the eye and said, “Uzzy, Queensland Cricket has given you so much, you owe it to them to play”.

‘To be honest, my wife is probably more angry than anyone else, because she’s the one who actually told me to get on the plane and go play Tassie.’ 

Khawaja said he was ‘fuming’ after Dawes suggested he didn’t care about Queensland Cricket. 

‘So for Joey Dawes to come out and say I don’t make sacrifices — I left my family here during a cyclone,’ he said.

The 38-year-old confirmed he hadn’t spoken with Dawes in over a month and was shocked by the public attack. He also referenced Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and said he was not expecting an apology from Dawes.  

‘He’s best mates with Peter Dutton, and I’ve never seen Dutton given an apology in 20 years,’ Khawaja said. 

‘I’m not going to expect it. This is not about an apology at all. In all seriousness, I’m just here getting all the facts out. 

Dawes was part of a potent Queensland pace battery in the 1990s and 2000s that included Michael Kasprowicz, Andy Bichel and Adam Dale

Khawaja did line up for Queensland in their penultimate match, scoring a ton despite being unable to run between the wickets

The Aussie batsmen is also one of only a handful of Test stars who returned to play Sheffield Shield, with the likes of Pat Cummins, Steve Smith and Nathan Lyon all opting out

‘Joey said the medical staff had no idea; that is 100 per cent wrong,’ Khawaja said. ‘I was talking to the Australian physio the whole time. Everyone knew about it.’

Khawaja added that the injury was reported in the Athlete Management System (AMS), and Cricket Australia had been involved in every step. ‘I don’t do anything without talking to CA first. They always have final say.’

Khawaja also texted Bulls coach Johan Botha to communicate his unavailability and the rehab plan, but never received a reply. 

He said his hamstring ‘felt like it would pop’ during the Tasmania match, which forced him to jog between wickets.

Khawaja will return for the Sheffield Shield final next week in Adelaide. 

He captained the Bulls to their last title in 2020–21 and remains a key part of their squad. He also has ambitions to play in the next home Ashes series.

Queensland captain Marnus Labuschagne said he had no concerns with Khawaja’s absence, calling it ‘the perfect result’ to have him fresh for the final. 

‘We understand if we want the best out of him, he needs to be ready and not injured,’ he said.

The issue has raised broader questions about the obligations of players contracted to Cricket Australia but not to their state teams. 

Under the current system, Khawaja doesn’t have a deal with Queensland, while players like Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, and Mitchell Starc have also skipped recent Shield games.

Nathan Lyon, who was also at the Grand Prix with his wife Emma, has avoided similar criticism despite technically being available to play for NSW. 

Steve Smith also skipped the final Shield round while overseas in America. Meanwhile, Scott Boland missed Victoria’s game with knee soreness.

As the fallout continues, Khawaja said he’s open to mending fences with Dawes – but only after the Shield final. 

‘For me, the most disappointing thing was, I tried to keep this behind the scenes. It’s obviously not anymore.’