Former Australian Test opener Usman Khawaja has revealed that he lived with rheumatoid arthritis throughout his international career, a diagnosis he kept from his teammates, ABC News reports.
Khawaja, 39, who retired from Test cricket after Australia's Ashes win in January, told the programme Australian Story that he was diagnosed at 22 while playing for New South Wales. Before doctors identified the condition, severe knee pain left him barely able to walk, and he feared he was dying. He told medical staff and administrators but no players, including close friend David Warner, because he did not want special treatment.
He credits regular injections of medication with saving his career. He went on to score 6,229 runs in 88 Tests, including 16 centuries. Khawaja, Australia's first Pakistani-born and first Muslim Test cricketer, details his illness in a forthcoming autobiography, Sabr.
Source: ABC News Australia
