Pat Cummins Stops Champagne For Muslim Player Usman Khawaja
Usman Khawaja has praised his Australian teammates for halting their alcohol-fuelled party to get him back into the Ashes celebrations.
The Ashes is a special series of matches between England and Australia - and one of the longest-running rivalries in sport. The two nations meet roughly every two years, with the winners claiming one of the most famous (and smallest) trophies in sport - the Ashes cup. It is held alternately in England and Australia. Both teams play a series of five test matches, each lasting up to five days. The first Ashes match was played in 1882 and has been going on since then. The 2021–22 Ashes was held in Australia. The series was played at five venues across Australia from 8 December 2021 and finished on 18 January 2022. This time Australia won.
After the match, the entire team gathered to celebrate their victory. The players began spraying champagne and kneeling to pose for pictures. That time Usman Khawaja who is a batsman stepped away from the team. That time Pat Cummins who is Australia’s Captain noticed this. He told the players to stop spraying champagne and called Usman back to celebrate with the team. Usman quickly returned to the stage and kneeled beside Cummins as the team let out a roar posing for the cameras. A video of the incident went viral.
Later reporters asked Cummins why did he call Usman back. Cummins said, “Usman is obviously Muslim, so he doesn't like the champagne being thrown. I respect his beliefs and did not want champagne to be sprayed on him. This is why I asked the players to keep the bottle aside.” Usman is Australia’s first Muslim player and he does not drink alcohol because of his religious beliefs. After the video went viral people praised Cummins for being a great leader who respects his teammate’s religious beliefs.
