Pat Cummins, Shikhar Dhawan congratulate Usman Khawaja after retirement announcement

Pat Cummins, Usman Khawaja (Pic: Instagram/patcummins30)

Australia's Test captain Pat Cummins congratulated traditional opening batsman Usman Khawaja on his incredible career after the left-handed batsman confirmed stepping away from international cricket after the conclusion of the fifth and final Test match of the ongoing Ashes series.

During a press conference that lasted for 50 minutes on Friday, Khawaja said that the Test match in Sydney would be his last appearance in international cricket, according to ESPNcricinfo.

So far, he has represented Australia in 87 Test matches and has scored 6206 runs with an average of 43.39. He also has 16 centuries and 28 half-centuries in the format.

Cummins shared a story on his official social media handle, in which he urged Usman Khawaja to smash a century at home before retiring.

"Congratulations on an incredible career mate. One more century to go," read the story's caption.

The fifth and final Test match of the ongoing Ashes series is scheduled to be played from January 4 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Former Team India cricketer Shikhar Dhawan also wished Khawaja on his stunning career for Australia.

"What a journey, @Uz_Khawaja. Good luck for the last Test in Sydney and everything that comes next," Dhawan wrote on X.

Speaking to the media at the SCG, Khawaja said the decision had been on his mind for some time and that discussions with his wife, Rachel, played a significant role in finalising it.

"I've been thinking about it, not wholly, but for a while," Khawaja said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. "Moving into this series, I kind of had an inkling in my head that this would be the last series.

Khawaja revealed that Australian head coach Andrew McDonald had, until recently, still been considering ways to extend his Test career, including plans for future tours.

"I talked to Rachel [Khawaja's wife] about it a fair bit, and I knew this was a big chance. I didn't leave the door fully shut, because I knew there was a chance I could play on. I know [coach] Andrew McDonald even right till the very end, when I told him a few days ago, he was still thinking about how I could get to India [in 2027]," said the 39-year-old cricketer.

(With ANI Inputs)