Ashes 2021-22: Shane Warne has called for Usman Khawaja to open with David Warner in Hobart instead of struggling Marcus Harris.
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Ahead of the Ashes 2021-22, Australia had a call to take between Travis Head and Usman Khawaja for the number five spot. Australia chose Travis Head, and he proved their selection right. Head scored 152 runs in the 1st innings of the Brisbane test and won the Man of the Match trophy. He missed the third test due to Covid.
Usman Khawaja, who broke the door by scoring runs in the Sheffield Shield finally got his opportunity. He played his last test in Ashes 2019, and he made his test return memorable. Khawaja scored centuries in both the innings and forced the Sydney crowd to stand and applaud him. However, it is almost certain that Travis Head will return to the side in Hobart at the number five spot. So despite scoring double centuries, Khawaja is still not sure about his place.
“At the moment I’m quite resigned to the fact that I probably will miss out,” Khawaja said after the Sydney Test.
“That’s the way (it seems) talking to (chief selector) George Bailey and the selectors about continuity and having a similar team by the looks of it.”
Ashes 2021-22: Shane Warne backs Usman Khawaja to open in Hobart
Ahead of the Ashes series, Shane Warne was skeptical about Usman Khwaja. Even in the Sydney test, Warne said that he would have preferred Mitch Marsh over Usman. However, after the Sydney test, Warne is open enough to admit that Khawaja does not deserve to be dropped. He insists that Khawaja should open with David Warne in Hobart instead of Marcus Harris. Warne has been a huge supporter of Harris, but he admits that Harris has not been great.
“Unfortunately, as much as I’m a fan of Harris and I think he can play at this level, I just don’t think he’s done enough,” Warne said on FoxSports.
“It’s more what Usman Khawaja has done and not what Harris hasn’t done.”
“Back-to-back hundreds like that, he moves back up the order to open and (Travis) Head comes in at No. 5.”
Khawaja now has 3,125 Test runs at an average of 43.40, including 10 centuries scored across four different positions. Khawaja is one of only 11 international batters to have scored 10 Test centuries or more since 2015. He has done so from only 36 Tests, 12 less than anyone else to have reached the milestone.
