London, Jan 2 Former England spinner Monty Panesar has reacted to Usman Khawaja’s remarks on racism in Australian cricket by stating that he never faced racial discrimination during his international career and always felt strongly supported by his teammates and the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Khawaja, who announced that he will retire from international cricket after the final Sydney Ashes Test, has hit out at racial stereotypes in Australian cricket, claiming he has been treated differently across his career.
"Thankfully, I never faced any racial discrimination while playing for England. I always received strong support from the team and the board. They were very supportive," Panesar told IANS when asked about his reaction to Khawaja exposing racism during his emotional press conference on Friday.
During the 50-minute-long presser, Khawaja stated he is still battling stereotypes in his final season, claiming some of the criticism of his Ashes preparation had racial undertones.
"I’ve always felt a little bit different, even now. I am a coloured cricketer, and the Australian cricket team is, in my opinion, the greatest national team. It’s our pride and joy. But I’ve also felt very different by the way I’ve been treated and by how certain things have happened," Khawaja told the media.
He also spoke about the criticism he faced for playing three days of golf before the Perth Test, where he suffered back spasms, which prevented him from opening in both innings.
"I had back spasms, and it was something I couldn't control. The way the media and the past players came out and attacked me, I could have copped it for two days, but I copped it for about five days straight.
"These are the same racial stereotypes I've grown up with my whole life. We obviously haven't fully moved past them, because I've never seen anyone being treated like that in the Australian cricket team before, not for the uncontrollables the way you guys went at me," Khawaja said.
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