Just when it seemed that Travis Head had done enough to secure an Ashes berth, Usman Khawaja fired back to give the selectors more to ponder.
Pitted against each other for Australia’s vacant number five position, Head and Khawaja faced off in this week’s Sheffield Shield match between South Australia and Queensland.
Both men failed in the first innings, but with Bulls skipper Khawaja selflessly enforcing the follow-on, his opposing captain struck a timely 101 off 149 balls on Thursday to poke his nose in front.
With Queensland only needing 87 for victory, it appeared Khawaja wouldn’t have another real chance to push his claims for a Test recall until an Ashes intra-squad match from December 1-3.
But coming to the crease at 2/16, Khawaja thumped an unbeaten 52 off just 36 balls – whacking 10 fours – to guide his team home.
It remains to be seen how much weight the selectors place on the duo’s performances.
Chief selector George Bailey said when the 15-man Ashes squad was announced last week that they were “pretty close to where we’re going to land” in picking a number five batter.
“We’re leaning towards one of them but the whole purpose of naming a squad is to have a squad there. So we’ll work through that much closer to the start of the first Test,” Bailey said.
At least Australia will know that whoever gets the nod is in good nick.
Former Test captain Ricky Ponting said when the squad was announced that he thought Khawaja was likely to be thrust back into the middle order.
“I was actually a bit surprised that they named the two (Khawaja and Head),” he told cricket.com.au.
“If they haven’t made a decision on it yet, I’m not sure how much clearer it’s going to get over the next period of time.
“I’m rapt for Khawaja. I’ve been on record a few times that even when he got left out, I still felt he was in Australia’s top six batters.
“Just reading between the lines, it would seem strange to go back to someone like him and not play him.”
Meanwhile, incumbent Aussie number three Marnus Labuschagne also enjoyed a strong hit-out, the Queenslander posting 110 on a tricky Karen Rolton Oval pitch before scoring 28 not out in the second dig.
Weather permitting, Australia’s Ashes group will play in the intra-squad match, also featuring members of the Australia A list, at Redlands next week.
While it might be billed as a bat-off between Head and Khawaja, new Test captain Pat Cummins said last week that “I wouldn’t look into that game too much”, describing it as “pretty relaxed”.
Simoc
Roar Rookie
I'm picking Head but who cares. If Harris fails four times in a row Khawaja can slot in there the same as if Head fails 4 times in a row. But Head hasn't been an opener. In all likelihood someone will fail enough or get injured over the series, so both are likely to feature. Having said that Khawaja is one of the finest batters in the world but used to get out early to often with feet that didn't move. Now he's older and better. For me better than Labuschagne but Lab keeps on getting the runs, so far.
nics
Roar Rookie
Or attacking the good guy more than one at a time.
Kim Hughes 1980
Roar Rookie
Looks like Travis will get the nod. So there will be clear batting weaknesses at 5 and 6 that the Poms will try and exploit – Head with his slashing outside off and Green with his lbw vulnerability. Here’s hoping these guys can overcome the Pommie attacks! (And we also hope that the Green machine takes a wicket or seven)
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
It may not happen on the vast majority of occasions but that’s only a small factor in assessing batting skill and capacity to score runs. And if the players themselves aren’t playing as though the game is over, I’m not clear why it’s a reason to ignore such innings. Not sure who the reference to making excuses applies to here. I was talking about judging a single innings. Certainly give high priority to whether someone makes runs in pressure innings, and against good attacks, over an extended period. But in one or a few innings it can be distorted by luck if you just look at the numbers: your luck might come during the higher pressure innings rather than less pressured ones, or vice versa. Remember, luck isn’t just about getting a good ball - it’s also about chances going down, edges being missed, getting away with false strokes.
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
Baddies are also really bad at taking cover and staying low.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Daniel Craig is untouchable! Should watch Blazing Saddles before it's cancelled. So wrong on so many levels makes it so right.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Ah I should probably have guessed - my only defence is that is I’ve never seen the film, which is a big hole in my education. I did go to see the Bond film last night and it struck me, not for the first time, just how exceedingly poor shots the baddies are, considering they are professional hit men and mercenaries. In fact a Bond hero has as much chance of being scathed by a bullet in the course of 25 firefights with a total of 500 baddies during a three hour film as a Test cricketer has of making meaningful runs when chasing more than 418 in the fourth innings.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Bart was his name. Yes, Bart was his name. https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/316166836313745511/
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
300 is a very big total in 3rd innings – prolly equivalent to 500 in first or second innings. With a 180 deficit, you need 380 to even put it back into even game territory. Does not happen on the large majority of occasions. _____________ Surely no batsman can cling to the excuse of getting a good one every single innings?
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Tennyson? Banjo Paterson? Les Paterson?
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
You are gonna lose, except if you don’t. They are trying to score as many as possible against bowlers who are doing their darnedest to get them out. So that is not a degree of difficulty of zero. Another 50 runs might have been all that was required, who knows. But I’d be more concerned by the idea relating to their first innings that every innings is like a diving or figure skating contest where the number of points scored, and the timing of any errors, is completely within the batsman’s control.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Hunt definitely looking promising. Averaging 46 since beginning of 20-21 season. Three centuries this year, all away from Adelaide. It’s hard to say more without seeing him play.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
He rode a blazing fifty He wore a shining star His job, to offer battle To all poms near and far He conquered fear and he conquered hate He turned our night into day He made his blazing fifty A torch to light the way
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
With a deficit of 180, you are gonna lose. The one time in 100 you don’t is a miracle exception, not the rule. Teams get in these hopeless positions because their key batsmen don’t perform in the first innings. We can’t have this happening in the Ashes. A fancy looking hundred after a game has already passed its decisive point is of no value to anybody other than the player’s own blessed stats.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Agree Usman’s innings didn’t tell us much, except perhaps that he’s in a confident state of mind. Judging by the highlights, half his boundaries were reverse sweeps against Pope, shots he would almost certainly not play in the Tests. It’s hard to say without seeing the whole innings, but in fact it smelt a bit of “who cares whether I get selected”, almost recklessness: it wasn’t clear why he needed to go so quickly. I’m more than puzzled by the idea that Head’s second innings was junk runs. They were chasing a deficit of 180 or so, but if they had pushed the lead up to 200 then they would have been well and truly in the game. Even 150 might have been a chance. “ Neither did what they had to do in the first innings”: that happens all the time in cricket, all it takes is one great ball or one mistake. While a century can be error prone. Need to see how they actually bat in various conditions and situations and results over a decent time frame.
U
Roar Rookie
It’s not like he’s got some spectacular Shield record either
Christo the Daddyo
Roar Rookie
With Paine’s departure, Khawaja would bring some leadership experience and tactical nous to the team.
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
I'd open with Khawaja for sure. Frankly, when he was dropped in the last Ashes here, he was the only one of our top 3 who looked even remotely likely to make a score. I assume that would then open the way for Head at 5 but I really don't see why it also couldn't be Maddinson. If weight of runs is the primary criteria, he should be first picked. And his backstory is deserving of another chance
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
The whole saga is like Edison inventing the light bulbs- painstaking, laborious and chronic. They've already picked the #5 anyway. They're wearing party hats, eating cupcakes and blowing wazoos laughing at all us plebs drunkenly debilitated by our delusional deliberations.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
I am not saying either Head or Usman should or shouldn’t get selected over the other or anyone else, but goodness me, if the selectors pay any credence to either of their 3rd and 4th innings then they have no idea how to do their jobs. Even had Usman not enforced the follow on and then scored a cool 100 not out in 3 for 200 declared, it would still have been every bit as meaningless as Head’s junk runs. Neither did what they had to do in the first innings when the match was being set up. If Head and Usman’s 3rd and 4th innings knocks were a shoot out for a test spot, then we have a gaping hole still to be filled even in the event of either being selected.