Usman Khawaja celebrates his 33rd birthday on December 18, 2019 (Wednesday). Born in Islamabad, Pakistan, Khawaja then 5-year-old immigrated to Australia with his family and have stayed there ever since becoming also the first-ever Australian of Pakistan origin to play for the Baggy Greens. He is also the first-ever Muslim cricketer to represent the Australia national cricket team. Since making his international debut for Australia in 2011 Ashes Test series, Khawaja has gone to represent Australia in 44 Test matches, 4 ODIs and 9 T20I matches establishing himself as a principal member of the Kangaroo nation. On his 33rd birthday, take a look at some of the most memorable innings by Usman Khawaja.

Becoming a pilot was as passionate about Usman Khawaja as holding a cricket bat. And that’s why he learnt both simultaneously, often attending cricketing lessons in the morning and training as a commercial and instrument-rated pilot for the remainder of the day. He graduated as a commercial and instrument-rated pilot and also completed a bachelor’s degree in Aviation even before his Test debut. Khawaja’s international debut for Australia came in the 2010-11 Ashes Summer but Khawaja failed. He scored just two fifties in his first 17 innings with his maiden Test century coming against New Zealand in his 10th Test. He hasn’t looked back ever since.

85 & 141 Against Pakistan in Dubai

The innings of his life and if that sounds too absurd, take this. The innings of his international career so far. Khawaja hadn’t scored a single Test half-century in Asian conditions before this and surprisingly he wouldn’t any after this. But on October 11, 2018, on a Day 5 pitch against a Pakistan bowling line-up that smelt an early victory, Khawaja stood tall as a rock. He wouldn’t survive the entire innings and wasn’t able to see his team through to secure a draw that never looked like the outcome until the penultimate delivery of the match but Khawaja survived when he needed to. An innings of 141 runs from 302 deliveries – a superhuman effort. The highest-ever individual fourth innings score and the second-highest fourth-innings score.

174 & 9* Against New Zealand in Brisbane

Khawaja scored his maiden international Test hundred four-years after his debut. A batting legacy by the Australians in their own background against the “nicest” opponents they could face. That’s exactly what the Australians said about their Trans-Tasman opponents before the Test match started and that’s exactly what the Kiwis did allowing the opening pair of David Warner and Joe Burns to set a record-breaking opening partnership before Khawaja showed the world the Australian selectors had seen in him five summers ago. 174 runs off 239 deliveries with the help of 16 fours and two maximums.

104 Against India in Ranchi

Australia had just lost the ODI series back home against India and came down for another ODI series only to find themselves 0-2 behind against the same opponents. The 2019 Cricket World Cup was starting in two months and Australia looked in trouble for India had completely outplayed them. But in Ranchi Usman Khawaja put his hand up as did the captain and Khawaja’s opening partner Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell. Khawaja scored his maiden ODI hundred putting an end to a 22-match drought and Australia scored their first 300 in 10 months. Khawaja scored 103 from 113 deliveries making most of the fast track with 11 boundaries and a maximum. Australian won by 32 runs.

145 & 0 Against South Africa in Adelaide

Usman Khawaja got to his third Test century and Australia avoided a clean sweep at home. The seven-wicket victory also halted Australia’s run of five successive Test match defeats. Here, they had already squandered the series to South Africa but won the pink ball Test to avoid a Test series whitewash. Khawaja had set the stage for the hosts with a fabulous century in the first innings, his fifth in Test matches, to help Australia take a first-innings lead. And although he was dismissed for a two-ball duck in the second game, the hundred had laid the cumber stone. An innings of 145 runs from 308 deliveries when the next best was 59 by Steve Smith.

100 Against India in Delhi

A series that put him on the plane to England for the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup and wiped off all doubts about his presence in the Australian ODI batting order. Usman Khawaja’s last two innings read 104 and 91. The century at Ranchi, his maiden in ODIs started the turnaround for Australia. He missed a second ODI hundred by nine runs two days later. But five days from his maiden ODI hundred, Khawaja struck another gritty century helped by 10 boundaries and two maximums.

His effort produced a remarkable series victory over India – the first time an Australian team had bounced back from 0-2 down to win an ODI series. India were down to a home series defeat for the first time since 2015 and there were many Australian cricketing heroes to look for. But among all those heroes, Usman Khawaja was a superhero. Happy Birthday Usman Khawaja, the pilot batsman!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 18, 2019 08:35 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).