Aussie cricket star Usman Khawaja issues huge statement on his future as opening batter prepares for Sri Lanka series
Usman Khawaja has revealed that he is willing to step back from Test cricket should Australia’s Test selectors deem his career has run its course.
Australia’s top order is set to go through plenty of transition in the coming years, with the likes of Sam Konstas and Nathan McSweeney breaking onto the scene this summer.
But Khawaja’s future with the Baggy Greens has come under the microscope after Australia’s series victory against India this summer seemingly struggled to score runs during the opening three Tests.
The Queensland batter managed just one score over 20 runs during the opening three Tests, before he picked up some form alongside Sam Konstas in the Boxing Day Test, hitting 57 runs in the first innings.
The 38-year-old admitted that Australian cricket fans can expect a fair bit of change to Pat Cummins’ side in the coming years and added that he still wanted to be a part of that squad.
‘Over the next three to four years, there’s going to be a lot of transition going on,’ Khawaja said to cricket.com.au.
Usman Khawaja has revealed that he is willing to step back from Test cricket should Australia’s Test selectors deem his career has run its course
Khawaja found a bit of form late on after struggling to score runs at the beginning of Austrlia’s series victory against India earlier this summer
Khawaja said he still planned to continue playing cricket but said he was ready to step aside should Test selectors deem that his career was coming to a close
‘I’m quite attuned to that and I still want to play and I want to keep playing for as long as I can.’
But the Australian also conceded that he was prepared to call time on his illustrious playing career should he get the nod from Australian selectors.
‘I also know there might be a right time to slip out,’ Khawaja said.
‘If I’m still playing and the selectors are like, “We feel like the time’s come”.
‘It’s: “You let me know and I can slide out”.’
Khawaja sits 176th in Australia’s all-time top Test run-scorers chart, having amassed 5635 runs over 78 matches at an average of 44.02.
His highest-ever Test score came against South Africa in 2023 at the SCG, where he struck an undefeated 195.
While he was unwilling to put a timeline on when his retirement from Test cricket will come, the 38-year-old added that he was gunning to play in next summer’s Ashes series.
Khawaja added though that he would like to bow out at his home ground, the Sydney Cricket Ground
He added that should he retire, he would like to do so in a similar vein to David Warner and bow out at his home ground, the SCG.
‘There’s definitely those thoughts (bowing out in Sydney) in my head, I’m not afraid to talk about that. I’m human,’ Khawaja, who played for New South Wales between 2007 and 2012, said.
‘I’d still like to play the Ashes at a bare minimum. I try not to think too far ahead, that’s as far ahead as I’ll think.
‘As long as we’re winning, I’m still contributing, my body’s still feeling good, I’ll play. For me, it always feels more like one summer at a time (rather than retiring after the Ashes).’
Australia are back in action on Wednesday as they commence their three-match series against Sri Lanka in Galle, with the left-handed batter being backed to open for the tourists in the first Test.
‘(Playing on the subcontinent) has been a love-hate relationship,’ he said.
‘(But) there’s going to be times when you score runs, times you don’t score runs. You respect that the older you get.
‘Cricket always ebbs and flows. I’m very attuned to that now.’
