London [UK], June 9 (ANI): Australia’s seasoned opener Usman Khawaja addressed his retirement plans and declared that when it’s time for him to hang up his boots, he will “gracefully” do that ahead of defending their crown at Lord’s in the World Test Championship final against South Africa on Wednesday.
The 38-year-old southpaw is walking towards the sunset of his illustrious career. After his long-time compatriot, David Warner’s retirement, Khawaja has taken the brunt on his shoulders to offer stability at the top.
Khawaja’s significance for Australia resonates in the 1,422 runs he has struck with his bat, the most by any Baggy Green in the ongoing WTC cycle, before the Lord’s clash. Despite the concerns around his age, Khawaja feels he is at the top of his game as he continues to enjoy his cricket.
“To me, age is irrelevant. If I’m still enjoying my game, still training really hard, I’m still scoring runs, still contributing to the team where I can, I’ve still got the hunger. I don’t really think of anything as different, but I’m very open,” Khawaja told ICC Digital at Lord’s.
“I’m really just enjoying my cricket at the moment. Everything that has a beginning has an end. I don’t know when that end will be, but for me it’s all about staying in the moment, enjoying it one Test match at a time, one series at a time. And when it’s time to hang up the boots, I’ll gracefully do that, whatever it be,” he added.
As Khawaja bolsters his preparations to open for Australia, uncertainty still revolves around the player who will walk alongside him. Since Warner’s last dance in January last year, the Baggy Greens have tested out Steve Smith, Nathan McSweeney, Travis Head and Sam Konstas alongside Khawaja.
For the high-stakes final, the rumour mill has suggested that the defending champions are willing to promote Marnus Labuschagne from number three to the top. Konstas, who impressed with his swashbuckling display against India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the top, is also training with the squad in London and remains in contention to open alongside Khawaja.
Despite all the noise about Australia’s opening pair, Khawaja remains unfazed about the opening conundrum and doesn’t want to be drawn into the debate about who his opening partner should be.
“Not really, to be honest. Opening is so tough. I’m worried about how the ball is going to bowl to me and what I need to do. The opposite, whoever’s opening with me is thinking exactly the same. Then we’re kind of in the middle working together on how we’re going to blunt out this attack,” Khawaja said when asked about whether the lack of clarity on who will open with him at Lord’s affects his mindset,” he said.
“It doesn’t really change my game too much. If anything, the change was probably a little bit quieter without Davey. But for me, it’s just about what I need to do for my team and then where I need to work with my partner while I’m out there,” he added. (ANI)
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