Australia batter Usman Khawaja named in Pakistan's Foreign Minister's Honors List

Australian batter Usman Khawaja has been named by the Pakistani government on the Foreign Minister's Honors List.

The Honors List was introduced in 2020 and this is the second edition of the award. 25 overseas Pakistanis were awarded for their “professional leadership with a strong record of innovation and outstanding performance in the fields of community service, science and innovation, entrepreneurship, sports and arts & culture”.

The award was announced by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Khawaja took to Instagram to express his gratitude for the honor.

“Very humbled to have received this honour amongst some amazing recipients. Extremely grateful to my family and friends for all the support! I am proud of my heritage, grateful for what I have and hopefully can continue helping to grow our beautiful multicultural country,” Khawaja penned down on Instagram.

His Australian teammate, David Warner, was quick to congratulate Khawaja on the accolade.

“Well done mate,” Warner commented on Instagram.

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Usman Khawaja is the first Pakistan-born player to represent Australia in cricket

Usman Khawaja hasn't played for Australia since 2019

Usman Khawaja was born in the capital city of Pakistan, Islamabad in 1986. He became the first Pakistan-born player to represent Australia when he made his debut during the 2010-11 Ashes series.

The left-handed top-order batter has represented Australia in 44 Test matches, 40 ODIs and nine T20Is. He has an aggregate of 4,682 runs in international cricket at an average of 40.

Khawaja had a stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as well, representing Rising Pune Supergiant in the 2016-17 season. He played six matches for the side, scoring 127 runs at an average of 21.17.

The 34-year-old, who represents Queensland in domestic cricket, last played an international match for Australia in September 2019.