A Test cricket career is a tough business, and Usman Khawaja faces a difficult assignment to keep his alive, if he gets that chance in Sydney’s fourth Ashes Test.
At first glance, it appears the veteran left-hander will have an easy ride – coming in at number five after an Australian top order likely to again put the home team in a dominant position against this bruised and battered English squad facing a series whitewash.
But for the 35-year-old Queensland captain, it could be the last opportunity he receives to have a late-career run in the baggy green.
Travis Head is ahead of him on the pecking order and will return for the fifth Test in Hobart on January 15, assuming he recovers from his COVID-19 case in time.
But if Khawaja fails to score runs, he may also cost himself a chance to be in the touring squad for the trip to the nation of his birth, Pakistan, in March.
The selectors have shown by their decision to draft in Mitchell Marsh, Nic Maddinson and keeper-batter Josh Inglis to the squad as extra cover in case of further COVID-19 dramas, that they have an eye on regenerating Australia’s ageing batting stocks.
Will Pucovski and Cameron Green were ushered into the Test side last summer as selectors look to shore up the future in a few years’ time, when prolific duo David Warner and Steve Smith call it a day.
Khawaja had the talent to be a mainstay of the Australian team like his pair of former NSW teammates, but has been in and out of the line-up several times due to a mix of form and injury issues since his debut, also in an Ashes Test at the SCG.
That game was 11 years ago but seems like a lifetime away for England and Australia. The tourists were in the process of sealing a 3-1 series win, while the locals were looking for a saviour to lead them out of their darkest period in decades.
Khawaja scored a promising 37 on a rain-shortened first day of that Test and such was the nation’s appetite for a ray of hope, it was lauded as the potential dawn of a bright new career by the national media.
(Lindsey Parnaby/AFP/Getty Images)
He added just 21 in the second innings but it was enough to get him on the plane for the next Test tour of Sri Lanka seven months later.
But it wasn’t until 2015 that he established himself in the side on the back of his first two Test tons against New Zealand, and another on Boxing Day at the MCG against the West Indies.
The next four years demonstrate the rocks or diamonds stretches of his career.
He tallied 753 from 10 Tests in 2016 at 47.06 in 2016 and 732 at 40.66 from the same number of games in 2018.
In between he added 256 and 265 in 2017 and 2019 respectively, both at a sub-30 average, and has not been selected since a paltry three-match return of 122 in the last Ashes tour of England.
Khawaja was not putting too much pressure on himself when he spoke to the media on the weekend.
“Potentially I’ll have one game for Australia here, but I know it’s not going to be the be all and end all. I’ve done a lot of hard work to get back to this point where I am right now,” he said.
“But even if that doesn’t happen, I know there’s still… a lot of cricket on the subcontinent which I feel I’m very suited to, and which I’m looking forward to hopefully being a part of moving forward.”
Although he scored a mammoth match-saving century against Pakistan in the UAE in his last Test in Asia back in 2018, his record on the continent is not that great.
He averages 31.45 from seven games, well down on his overall record of 40.66 from 44.
Players such as Chris Rogers and Adam Voges had career revivals in the latter stages of their careers, while Mike Hussey played his entire career after his 30th birthday. But they are the exceptions to the rule.
If Khawaja doesn’t grasp this opportunity at a ground he knows so well after many summers playing for NSW, it’s hard to see the selectors giving him any, let alone many, more.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
Test cricket is about partnerships, runs, occupation, domination......the strike rate - - - look at it this way - - BECAUSE Harris was holding down one end; it allowed players at the other end to be a bit more aggressive. Do you understand that? Partnership batting. Similarly bowling wise - - there may be an into the wind bowler just trying to keep things tight and build pressure for the downwind attack bowler from the other end. You can't always compare averages, economy and strike rates because individuals may be performing largely distinct roles. In that England 2nd innings - precious few dismissals were poor shots/loss of concentration. Scott Boland didn't pick up any charity wickets amongst his 6 in the 2nd innings. The other cricket truism is that the pressure built up via the good balls is often why a seeming 'bad ball' draws a false shot and a wicket. Likewise batting on something that is NOT a road means that it's harder to play with absolute certainty. So - - again - - the value of someone playing an effective 'sheet-anchor' role in trying conditions should not be diminished.
Akitas
Roar Rookie
Nothing controversial about Khawaja. He has carried himself with dignity, despite all the selection disappointments of recent years. He is still one of the best batsmen in Australia. Age has nothing to do with it, if he can still perform he deserves to be picked.
Akitas
Roar Rookie
A streaky innings does not an opener make.
Mick Gold Coast QLD
Roar Guru
"What a petty response to a sensitive subject" By Jove old chap, you certainly are creative, I'll give you that! Where did that come from? What on earth does it mean? No, no, don't bother - cheerio then, I must be off to my safe space, pretty smartly I believe!!! :crying: :crying:
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
It’s not spelling, it’s the lack of a font with the acute accent available. But, my goodness! What a petty response to a sensitive subject. Just find the correct forum.
Paul
Roar Guru
How many guys got out by simply playing poor shots, Chris? From both sides? And how can we tell just how hard it was, given the poor series the England players have collectively had? I think it was a pitch that demanded respect and was a real test of technique and concentration, yet I’m not sure players “got it”. This where England would have yearned for a Boycott and us for Bill Lawry.
Paul
Roar Guru
So where's the issue talking about strike rates?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! It's surely a measure of a batsman's ability to score runs which, surprisingly, is also what Test cricket is about. At no stage have I suggested this was an easy pitch to bat on, but it was far from impossible either as you and others seem to be implying. I've already highlighted elsewhere how many guys from both sides got out to shots that had zero to do with the wicket and everything to do with poor technique or a loss of concentration. These dismissals played their part in what was a low scoring game.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
Paul I think you are underplaying the pitch there. The MCG was moving huge off some balls. Worst than I can remember that didn't involve large cracks in the pitch. Warner Smith and Head got a lot more wide balls or shorter balls that they could play scoring strokes off.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
Joe Root has himself asserted how difficult the conditions were. The seam movement was arguably extravagant come days 2 and 3 when normally it would be expected to have been settling down. You're talking asthetics in conditions where head down 'ugly' runs were by far the more valuable. Smith was lucky to get to 16 and looked really ugle playing so far from his body; Warner came off just long enough to be useful but only given that England had failed to pass 200. And Head just dangled that bat to throw away a 61 run partnership with what looked more like catching practice for the slips. Harris by contrast got undone by an excellent piece of bowling from Anderson; coming around the wicket and straigtening and bouncing on him - - didn't do a lot wrong. And you're pointing at S/R stats?!?!? You do realise it was a test match and not a T20 or ODI??
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
His 76 was one of 2 scores 50+ over the 33 bats in that test match. And it was extremely difficult batting conditions. What we have seen from Harris this series is that he hasn't had much luck - contrast to Labuschagne who has dined out on his run of luck. Ironically in Melbourne the tables turned. Just looking at the catches Buttler pulled out of his......rrrrr's.......compared to what he dropped in Adelaide. And the ball he got out to first innings at the Gabba was a pretty good nut that he arguably would've preferred to leave but it was in that corridor. That's gonna happen for openers. That's cricket. The art of the opening batter is to play by line and to cover the stumps but via a combination of leaves and playing inside the ball - - the opening batter will not always look overly attractive.
Mick Gold Coast QLD
Roar Guru
"Now here’ a tip" should read "Now here’s a tip". I have disgraced my family!
Mick Gold Coast QLD
Roar Guru
Why do you keep ringing my front doorbell so you can tell me about you? I am not interested to hear what does or does not interest you. Now here' a tip, a clue for you - if my post was about Kelloggs Corn Flakes I would have entered it at a nutritious breakfast cereal blog, not in a specialised section of a sports blog. I trust that helps you. I offered news of an exposé, exposed an exposé¹ for those who may be interested. My work is done. :stoked: ¹ I suggest you look up the definition of "exposé", brush up on the actual meaning rather than your imagined definition or context ... and on the spelling.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
...and Marsh!
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
This series. Teams can struggle, work on problems, coaches work with them...and now, they dominate. This same English team has performed far better against less dominant opposition.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
If it's about admin and politics, I'm not interested. That's what an "expose" usually deals with. The playing of the game of cricket is unrelated.
Chanon
Roar Rookie
Paul the wickets won’t have the bounce & carry like Australian pitches so based on that scenario it could be a perfect platform for Puc
Chanon
Roar Rookie
Like your optimism Don & l agree Harris looking more assured but the Aussie batsman being dominant is based on what Don this series or the previous or both?
Mick Gold Coast QLD
Roar Guru
That's easy enough to discover ...
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
In Shield when there's a game. In Marsh Cup when there's a game. Diminishing BBL as 'hit and giggle' does not acknowledge the reality of a competitive hit in the middle with real opposition. We all know he can play at the level. He is now playing grade cricket. He says the short ball is not his issue. Let's not second-guess the bloke who knows.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
It's confidence. Just being too watchful.