{
  "id": 16359126,
  "title": "Usman Khawaja reveals why he kept debilitating illness a secret",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/24/usman-khawaja-reveals-why-he-kept-debilitating-illness-a-secret",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-24T19:06:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ABC News AU",
    "slug": "abc-news-au",
    "url": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-25/cricketer-usman-khawaja-reveals-debilitating-illness/107163852"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In January 2022, after retiring from international cricket, Usman Khawaja revealed that he had been living with rheumatoid arthritis throughout his professional career. The 39-year-old had kept the debilitating illness a secret from his teammates, friends, and even doctors, fearing that it would end his cricketing dreams. The pain in his left knee was so severe that he feared he had a terminal illness. Only his childhood cricket buddy David Warner and Test teammate Michael Hussey were aware of his diagnosis. Usman managed his condition using regular injections of a drug he described as a \"godsend,\" which helped him regain his ability to play cricket within six months. His autobiography, Sabr, set to be released soon, aims to inspire those living with autoimmune diseases.",
  "summary": "Cricket great Usman Khawaja could barely walk and thought he had a terminal illness when he was just starting out his Test career. He was soon diagnosed with a crippling disease, which he has kept secret for 17 years.",
  "key_points": [
    "Usman Khawaja kept rheumatoid arthritis secret for years",
    "Diagnosed in 2022, feared it ended cricketing dreams",
    "Managed condition with drug injections, returned to play"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}