Australia's Usman Khawaja on Saturday (March 21) batted for a collective fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, urging people to be more considerate of the situation because of the outbreak that has wreaked havoc in the world.
Originating from the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year, the coronavirus has affected over 234,073 people globally with the death toll reaching 9,840 in 177 countries as of March 21.
Most countries have opted for lockdown with their respective governments asking citizens to stay indoors and practise social distancing as much as possible, apart from taking all other precautionary measures.
Our beloved sport, cricket has seen a shut down across the globe. All ICC full-member boards have either cancelled or indefinitely postponed their immediate domestic and international fixtures.
"Just because the mortality rates for Covid-19 for many isn't high, doesn't mean you should have a blasé attitude," Khawaja tweeted. "It's our responsibility as a society to think about the elderly and the social and economical loss this will have on so many lives. We all need to do our part."
"The more seriously we take it, then hopefully, the quicker we can get through it and the less amount of lives that are affected both medically and financially. We need to think about others, not just ourselves," added the 33-year-old.
Khawaja hasn't played for Australia since the end of the Ashes in UK last year. The left-hand batsman has played 44 Tests, 40 ODIs and 9 T20Is in his career so far.
Australia's last international assignment - the home three-match series against New Zealand to contest the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy - earlier this month got suspended after New Zealand government put strict travelling restrictions on all its citizens, forcing the national side to immediately return home.
