Usman Khawaja has revealed the "self-perpetuating" truth behind Australian cricket, as Cricket Australia unveiled its new multicultural action plan.
The 37-year-old has cemented himself as one of the best Test batters in the world in recent years, locking down a spot at the top of Australia's order alongside long-time friend, David Warner.
However, it wasn't always smooth sailing for Khawaja after moving to Australia as a young child from Pakistan and growing up in a non-English speaking household.
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The barriers that Khawaja has broken down over the course of his international career, as well as the conversations with Cricket Australia boss Nick Hockley, have led to the new plan, with the left-hander explaining the importance of changing things from the top.
The plan aims to provide additional funding and support to increase representation in key roles such as coaching and umpiring, as well as setting goals for increased southeast Asian attendance and participation over the next four years.
"This is very close to my heart – what legacy do I want to actually leave? I think we need to do things a little bit differently," he said.
"We have such great participation of southeast Asian communities, but we never see that reflected in the Australian cricket team.
"I'm very Australian, but I grew up very sub-continental. The things I had to deal with growing up were very different than the things that other teammates in my era had to grow up with.
"I've always found it hard to relate to my teammates in some respects, and also my coaches.
"It's self-perpetuating and for a long time, Cricket Australia has been very white-dominant.
"It's about trying to get representation in the Australian cricket team and the administration level. I can provide more insight to Cricket Australia than the average cricketer.
"I'd love to see cricketers from other continents. I think there's a big area there we can still explore.
"It's about focusing on something really small and work your way up. If you try to do everything at once, it just doesn't work."
Khawaja grew up in Sydney, playing his junior cricket in the eastern suburbs before moving onto higher honours with Randwick Petersham and NSW and making his Test debut in 2011.
Despite the large majority of his dealings being positive, Khawaja admitted that racism did exist in cricket and the stereotypes surrounding his performances were a direct reflection of the lack of representation and awareness in elite systems.
Khawaja, a proud Muslim, explained how he'd faced a stereotype of being lazy due to lagging behind in training sessions due to fasting during Ramadan as an example of a lack of understanding from higher-ups.
"I think there's racism all around the world, so yes [I did experience it] … but there's always outliers in everything you do," he said.
"I can't let one per cent of the people I have dealt with tarnish that.
"I was told I was lazy growing up. There was a stereotype growing up that sub-continent cricketers didn't try hard enough.
"There wasn't a barrier to break that down, because all my coaches and selectors were white-Australian and they didn't understand."
Since making his Test debut in 2011, Khawaja has been the only player to don the Baggy Green from a sub-continental background, with the likes of Tanveer Sangha, Fawad Ahmed, and Gurinder Sandhu playing sparingly the shorter forms of the game.
After being sanctioned by the ICC for wearing a black armband in Perth, Khawaja will line up for Australia in the Boxing Day Test beginning on Tuesday at the MCG.
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