Why is Usman Khawaja in India? It’s a pretty simple question, and one any of the selectors or Cricket Australia officials would have a great deal of trouble answering to my satisfaction.
The team for the third Test will be announced at the toss, and according to an article on the Cricket Australia website, the decision for the no.6 spot is down to Glenn Maxwell or Marcus Stoinis. This makes it very likely that we are witnessing the second Indian tour in a row that Usman Khawaja has been taken and not played a Test.
What is the point of taking him to India if he is never going to be permitted to play?
Commenters of all stripes, on this site and elsewhere, like to trot out the line that “Khawaja can’t play spin” (which is demonstrably false and simply requires watching his batting over the last 18 months in Australia) or that “Khawaja can’t score on the sub-continent” (which is demonstrably false as he has a first class century in Sri Lanka and a List A century in India to his name) and “Khawaja has a poor record on the sub-continent” (which with an average of 19.1 from four Tests is demonstrably true, but puts him in the same bracket of performance as David Warner who averages 25.3 from nine Tests on the sub-continent).
In the home summer just passed, Khawaja scored 581 runs at 58.1 (including one century) with a half-century in every match, while Warner scored 592 runs at 53.8 (two centuries) including a run of three matches without a half-century. Selectors always seem to be reluctant to change a winning team, unless that change is to drop Khawaja.
More importantly, at the moment (as was the case during the 2013 tour) the Sheffield Shield is still going in back in Australia. Khawaja, who is now the captain of Queensland, could be playing there and maintaining his imperious form from the summer. It would undoubtedly be better preparation for the upcoming Champions Trophy and Ashes than sitting on the boundary in an orange bib and visiting the local golf courses in India.
This question needs to be asked, and I genuinely want a journalist to put this to Darren Lehmann or Trevor Hohns: “Do the selectors believe Usman Khawaja is poorly suited to playing and scoring runs on the subcontinent and is therefore not part of the team under a ‘horses for courses’ approach?”
If yes, then why is he on tour in India instead of playing in the Sheffield Shield?
If no, then why is he not in the Test XI given his form?
It isn’t as if the current top order (other than Matt Renshaw and Steve Smith) is putting on a compelling case for retention this series: David Warner has returned 98 runs at 24.5, Shaun Marsh 91 runs at 23.0, and Peter Handscomb 81 runs at 20.3.
It is quite frankly ridiculous that a touring squad of 16 was taken to India, and yet despite injuries that a squad is designed to cover, two replacements have been flown over and are quite likely to play while the original touring squad ‘reserves’ just sit around.
If the rationale (and I have seen several posters defending the situation with this line) is that a like-for-like replacement is needed for either an all-rounder or a strike bowler, why have a squad at all? Why not send eleven players and fly over someone else when you need them?
That is what they are doing anyway, flying over people as they want them instead of utilising the squad.
I am still none the wiser, why is Usman Khawaja in India?
Stuckbetweenindopak
Roar Rookie
Looks like khawaja had begin the great Indian tour of 2017 including the 'great' IPL as a reserve pilot rather than a reserve batsman that we all mistook him for... Even for RPS team he won't get a chance unless four or five overseas stars get a delly belly such are his odds to play a game before ashes. It is clear injustice to bench a 30 year old for 6 odd months, why dont just let him play domestic??? don't forget he was the first one sent to Dubai for 'spin training' and ended up not even playing the tour game of India , besides missing new Zealand and sri lanka series at home. Don't be surprised if he forgets how to hold his bat by the time ashes comes, and fails in the first tests and gets dropped for never to play again in this level, it should be mission accomplished! And yes i believe it is not a that much problem for him personally as he is amassing a lot for a guy staying in order rooms 24x7, but it is the fans!
pradip
Guest
reminds me of the days when matthew haden was not being given a chance in the test team because chapell who called the shots thought he had a faulty action,load of garbage. surprising none of the prominent journalists,Craddock etc havent made one comment on an issue which is sticking out like a sore thumb
pradip
Guest
reminds me of the days when matthew haden was being given a chance in the test team because chapell who called the shots thought he had a faulty action,load of garbage. surprising none of the prominent journalists,Craddock etc havent made one comment on an issue which is sticking out like a sore thumb
Stuckbetweenindopak
Roar Rookie
I disagree, so far he has developed in Australia among whites, came through Australian system, and was bought to light by the whites! See usman khawaja is a hybrid of Pakistani raw talent and Australian cricketing upbringing which is far superior than how pakistan builds their players. Don't think he would have come up to top level in pakistan, the Pakistan who are so keen to play players like hefeez and Misbah for their entire lifetime! The pakistan who are hellbent to damage their rare talent...amir, asif and now sharjeel, and looks like it must be Babar next! I like usman khawaja because of his strokeplay more than anything else, though other factors do contribute no doubt, I very much like Hashim amla, but I don't like moeen Ali as a player!
Kasun
Guest
Usman should migrate to either UK or New Zealand to get a fair chance of playing cricket at Test level. The whites will break his confidence. He is probably not respected in the dressing room. I would tell ANY non-white child to JUST play for the game. If you are good enough to play state level , after few games immediately go to your country of origin play cricket at the highest level don't listen to this pretentious whites.
satrajit
Guest
Australia squad for Dharamshala Test: David Warner (Bat), Usman Khawaja(Bat), Steven Smith(c)(Bat/Bowl), Peter Handscomb (wk)(Bat), Shaun Marsh(Bat), Glenn Maxwell(Bat/Bowl), Marcus Stoinis(Bat/Bowl), Mitchell Swepson (Bowl), Pat Cummins(Bowl), Josh Hazlewood(Bowl), Jackson Bird(Bowl),
Stuckbetweenindopak
Roar Rookie
Though bringing khawaja in for marsh for 4th test may still qualify as “horses for courses” thing given the pacy nature of dharamsala wicket but imagine the feelings of marsh fans if he gets dropped after scoring one fifty, so that you could well imagine the agony that khawaja fans have been going through after he got dropped straightway after scoring 5 hundreds and 6 (high end) fifties in his last thirteen tests.
Bill
Guest
Interesting stat. This might educate some dumb people around here.
Bill
Guest
This repetition is meant for dumb people to understand - if that cap fits you then wear it.
Red Kev
Roar Guru
That's the point - do you honestly think that a series like Warner has just played (38, 10, 33, 17, 19, 14) would see Khawaja retained? Of course not, he'd be dropped after the second of those tests. People keep saying that Warner has "earned the right" to have a form slump and remain in the team - I agree - but so has Khawaja yet he isn't given the same chances. All I dislike is the double standard.
Don Freo
Guest
I've noticed you've been saying this for months. Why do you keep repeating something so silly?
Don Freo
Guest
Gee...that's taken a while. He must be pretty good.
Red Kev
Roar Guru
Fun fact, David Warner now has a lower test average than Usman Khawaja.
Bill
Guest
I have been saying the same things now for months. It is now quite obvious and blatant that the Selectors have something against Khawaja which they are not revealing to anyone. They are blatantly overlooking him for the 2 Marsh brothers who consistently have been failing, but they have the full support of the Selectors, so they cannot be dropped. The Selectors have been manufacturing excuse after excuse to cover for the 2 Marsh's and ignoring all the comments from past and present cricketing greats. The Selectors are a law unto themselves and Sutherland is just a gutless and spineless CEO who is just happy to collect his pay check and warm his seat in the ACA. I hope the Press and journalists take this case up and expose these incompetent Selectors and their biased behaviour to the public. Only then will we get some answers.
Don Freo
Guest
Team A has won a Test already. Good selections.
qwetzen
Guest
Here's something I just noticed. Someone (who may have been Glenn Mitchell) recently posted the Home & Away batting differential for selected players. I don't recall UK being amongst them because I think I would have remembered a differential of minus 33.4. His Home average is 63.7 and his Away average is 30.3.
Stuckbetweenindopak
Roar Rookie
Yeah and when you often keep saying he is wristy, such a wristy player! that means he should do well in these conditions. But somehow they suggest he has the best wrists in the team but is the worst one against spin, HUGE CONTRADICTION!
Stuckbetweenindopak
Roar Rookie
Irony is some people want to drop warner or youngster handscomb for khawaja but not Shaun marsh! Warners 'presence only' in the team is good enough!
Mike
Guest
There is some irony in the fact that Usman's heritage is from that part of the world yet he's been branded as not suiting it by the selectors.
Mike
Guest
Team A: Warner, Renshaw, Khawaja, Smith, Handscomb, Maxwell, Wade, Starc, SOK, Lyon, Hazelwood. Team B: Warner, Renshaw, Smith, S.Marsh, Handscomb, M.Marsh, Wade, Starc, SOK, Lyon, Hazelwood So, team B is the one we had in the 2nd Test. Methinks that team A would have fared a tad better in that 2nd innings chase. What's more, they would have been chasing less as I reckon team A would've scored more in the 1st innings. Please, please, please selectors NO more Marshs and please, I beg, not in the Ashes! SOK and M.Marsh have the same Shield batting average of 28. Would the selectors ever pick SOK to bat at 6 in our test team? Of course not - that would be stupid eh?