Usman Khawaja’s funny style in BBL, celebrated in Steve Smith style after scoring a half-century

By Samira Vishwas On Jan 16, 2026

Making a comeback in the Big Bash League (BBL), Usman Khawaja made headlines not only with the bat but also with his celebrations. He copied Steve Smith’s famous V-grip celebration as soon as he completed his half-century. At the same time, thanks to his innings, Brisbane Heat easily defeated Sydney Thunder in this match.

On Saturday, January 10, in the 27th match of the Big Bash League, Usman Khawaja created such a moment on the field, which forced the fans to smile. Khawaja, returning to BBL after the Ashes Test series, scored a half-century in his first match and copied the iconic V-Grip celebration of his old Australian teammate Steve Smith and celebrated in his style.

This match was played between Brisbane Heat and Sydney Thunder, where Khawaja batted brilliantly while chasing the target. As soon as he completed his fifty, he adopted the same style that Steve Smith had adopted against Jofra Archer in the 2025-26 Ashes series. This celebration of Khwaja went viral on social media in no time.

VIDEO:

The celebration
Usman Khawaja has made a half-century in his first match of #BBL15 🙌 pic.twitter.com/OMP0oB6sSI
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 10, 2026

Khawaja played an excellent inning of 78 runs in 48 balls, which included 7 fours and 3 sixes. This was his first BBL half-century in the last three years. He added 57 runs for the first wicket with Jake Weatherald (39) and then laid the foundation of the team’s victory by making an important partnership of 93 runs with Matt Renshaw (42).

Talking about the match, Sydney Thunder, batting first, scored 180 runs on the basis of David Warner’s innings of 82 runs in 56 balls. In reply, Brisbane Heat achieved the target with 7 wickets in hand and 22 balls remaining. Khawaja was out in the 16th over, but by then the match had completely gone in favor of the Heat. He was also named Player of the Match for his match-winning innings.