West Indies Cricket Fans

As a boy Usman Khawaja waited for the SCG gates to open so he could watch his heroes for free. On Monday he will have another priceless experience there when he plays his first Test as the injured Ricky Ponting's replacement at No 3.

Khawaja, who will become the first Muslim to receive a baggy green, moved to Australia from Pakistan when he was three and as he grew up, his family couldn't afford match tickets. So he would hang around at the entrance until the gatemen let him in for a peek at Steve Waugh and Co.

When he enters the ground over the next week he will be treated like royalty by the home fans and as a target by England. "It's been a childhood dream for me," he said at the SCG. "Ever since I can remember I wanted to play for Australia."