In a tweet from his personal account, Major General Asif Ghafoor praises the Pakistan-born Khawaja’s century in the final match against India at Delhi in what some are reading as a highly political manner.
“Very well played yet again #UsmanKhawaja.
Your 100 at excellent STRIKE rate made the difference. You gave excellent performance during last three consecutive ODI contests to CAP the series.”
The wording of the tweet has created a wave of responses among social media users.
War of words
The all capital lettered use of words 'STRIKE' and 'CAP' in the tweet are seen by many to have some distinct mililtary reference in them, potentially drawing attention to the conflict between India and Pakistan.
Recently, Pakistan and India were at a standoff after a terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir.
A few days later, India claimed a ‘strike’ against Pakistan via its air force in the northern area of Balakot, a town 50km from the border between the two nuclear nations.
In a press release after the air-attack, Pakistan Army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said that it will "respond at the time and place of its choosing", adding, "we will surprise you."
After a couple of days, Pakistani and Indian fighter jets engaged in a skirmish over Indian-controlled territory in the disputed border state of Jammu and Kashmir.
At least one Indian jet was shot down, with Pakistan capturing its pilot who was later released to India .
'CAP’ in armed forces terminology usually refers to Combat Air Patrol in which fighter planes fly in a pattern to monitor, attack or defend a target. This is read as another reference to the airstrikes and conflict.
Effective CAP patterns may include aircraft positioned at both high and low altitudes, in order to shorten response times when an attack is detected.
Usman Khawaja bats during game three of the One Day International series between India and Australia in Ranchi, India. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images AsiaPac
Indian players wore army caps
Another reference to the attack in Kashmir was seen in the series, when the Indian team donned camouflage caps in a nod to the Indian military and those who lost their lives in the attack. A move which was slammed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on the use of players' clothing for a political message.
Why praise Usman Khawaja?
Australia lost the first two matches against India and it was Usman Khawaja’s critical performance during the third match that turned the tides for Australia.
A match-winning innings of 104 runs by the left-hand Australian opener paved the way for Australians to win the critical match.
Australia also recorded their first ODI victory outside Australia since September 2017.
The #UsmanKhawaja hashtag became the top Twitter trend in Pakistan.
An Australian citizen, Usman Khawaja also happens to have been born in the capital city of Pakistan, Islamabad.
Usman Khawaja and Rachel Khawaja attend the 2019 Australian Cricket Awards at Crown Palladium, Australia. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images AsiaPac
Australian Star batsman Usman Khawaja was named Man of the Series for his excellent batting performance throughout.
Khawaja scored two centuries, two half-centuries and scored 383 total runs in the series.
