Usman Khawaja retired from International cricket in 2026 (Credit: Cricket Australia) Former Australian batsman Usman Khawaja has claimed that he was racially abused by a member of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in the Lord's Long Room when England batsman Jonny Bairstow was controversially dismissed during the 2023 Ashes series. During the lunch break on the fifth day of the second Test, Khawaja claimed in his autobiography 'Sabr' that an MCC member told him to "shut up, you P**i" when Australian players returned to the pavilion amid jeers and verbal abuse from spectators. As the Australian players moved through the Long Room, Khawaja stopped to confront an MCC member in footage that was shown on Sky Sports during the game, according to Cricinfo. Before making his way to the away dressing room, he was also observed informing the stewards about another member. In his book, Khawaja described the incident and said that the members repeatedly cursed at the Australian players. He described how he lost his temper after approaching a member who had yelled in his ear and hearing another use a racist epithet against him. "It was like a pack of dogs about to feast on their next meals. They were in unison, swearing, calling us 'F-ing this', and 'F-that', 'C-nts this'. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. At first, I just laughed, mostly in shock. Was this the Long Room? Part of the most prestigious, noble cricket club in the world, where the waiting list was over 30 years? Or were we with the Hollies [Edgbaston's notorious party stand]? And no disrespect to the Hollies, because they never treated us like this,” he said. "As we kept walking, I pulled up when someone shouted right into my ear - as there was only a rope and about 20 centimetres between us. 'Don't you dare scream in my ear again, you dickhead,' I said to the first guy. Then as I walked on, and I heard someone else say, 'Shut up, you P**i,' I lost it," he said. Khawaja, however, clarified that he could not identify the person who allegedly used the racial slur, adding that he had confronted the first member he believed was responsible. He said, "I don't know who this was exactly. I want to clarify that I know a few people got bans from the MCC. All I know is I confronted the first bloke I saw, who I thought it was. He was still shouting, spitting and screaming in my face, so I could only assume it was him. I told security, 'Get this guy out of here!'" The MCC suspended three members for their behaviour after the Test, later expelling one and handing bans of four-and-a-half and two-and-a-half years to the other two following an investigation. Notably, Australia eventually won the Test by 43 runs. Nikhil is an accomplished sports journalist with extensive experience spanning several years across digital, and multimedia platforms. Currently contr... View More