'Started Playing Call Of Duty': Usman Khawaja Reveals How He Broke The Ice With James Anderson

The English team is set to play against Australia in the fourth Ashes Test, slated to be played at the Manchester, starting from July 19

James Anderson of England reacts as David Warner and Usman Khawaja of Australia run between the wickets during Day Four of the LV= Insurance Ashes 1st Test match between England and Australia at Edgbaston

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Australia’s explosive opener Usman Khawaja’s friendship with England's legendary pacer James Anderson is quite evident. Despite playing for rival nations, both share a deep camaraderie off the field. One of the prominent reasons behind this friendship is they played together at the Lancashire Cricket Club. Back in 2014, they used to play side by side in Lancashire, despite being a shy guy at first, Anderson gelled up with Khawaja and one of the biggest reasons was they used to play the video called  ‘Call of Duty’ together.

In a recent chat, Khawaja revealed how ‘Call of Duty’ helped them build a strong bond with each other. He also shared an incident about Anderson, who once visited Khawaja’s room back in 2014 and started playing Call of Duty, which gradually ended up becoming a key factor in their friendship.

"I was at Lancashire in 2014. He (Anderson) was a very quiet, reserved guy - I wasn't quite sure how to take him. Then somehow - I was addicted to Call of Duty on Play Station at the time, and so was he! That's how we broke the ice. He came to my room, and we started playing Call of Duty, and I started getting along pretty well with him after that," Khawaja told reporters.

The Australia-based batter went on to appreciate the legendary English pacer for his successful career.

"I've got a lot of time for Jimmy - he's been an outstanding cricketer for such a long time, and he's got his own end named after him, so he must be doing something right! I think there's always room for Jimmy Anderson in the team," Khawaja said.

The English team is set to play against Australia in the fourth Ashes Test, slated to be played at the Manchester, starting from July 19. The Ashes 2023 series have been topsy-turvy so far with three games going down the wire. The kangaroos won two close games at  Edgbaston and Lord’s before England pulled one back at Headingley and kept the series alive.