Australia batsman requests privacy following arrest of his older brother in Sydney
Khawaja addresses brother's arrest
Usman Khawaja has asked that his family’s privacy be respected and that due legal process be allowed to proceed unhindered after his older brother was arrested by New South Wales Police today.
Arsalan Khawaja, 39, was arrested in Sydney in relation to an investigation into a notebook found at the University of New South Wales, the contents of which subsequently led to the wrongful imprisonment of a UNSW employee.
He has been charged with forgery and attempting to pervert justice.
Usman Khawaja, who is in Adelaide as part of the Australia Test team as it prepares for the opening Test of the Domain Series against India starting on Thursday, is in no way linked to the investigation and he made a brief media statement today.
“It's a matter for the police to deal with,” he told reporters at Adelaide Oval today.
“Out of respect for the process, it would be inappropriate for me to make any further comments.
“I just ask you to please respect my privacy, and my family's privacy during this time.
“Thank you.”
Usman Khawaja is expected to occupy the pivotal number three batting berth in the upcoming Test against the world’s top-ranked team, but this week noted he would also be unfazed if asked to open the innings as was the case in Australia’s most recent Test campaign against Pakistan in the UAE.
"The only thing it affects is how fast I have to run off the field," Khawaja told Melbourne radio’s RSN when asked if he preferred opening to batting further down the order.
"You only get 10 minutes as an opener, which is a pain in the a***.
“I love batting number three because you often get a little rest, little breather, put your pads on nice and easy, watch the openers scurry off.
"But it doesn't make a difference whatsoever."
Domain Test Series v India
Dec 6-10: First Test, Adelaide Oval
Dec 14-18: Second Test, Perth Stadium
Dec 26-30: Third Test, MCG
Jan 3-7: Fourth Test, SCG
Australia squad: Tim Paine (c, wk), Josh Hazlewood (vc), Mitch Marsh (vc), Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Chris Tremain
India squad: Virat Kohli (c), Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant (wk), Parthiv Patel (wk), Ravi Ashwin, Ravi Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar