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Khawaja won't buy into Australia's opening debate for Lord's

Khawaja won't buy into Australia's opening debate for Lord's

Just how Khawaja fares during the World Test Championship Final will be pivotal to Australia's chances, with the left-hander having made the most runs for the side during the current cycle with a total of 1,422 runs prior to the Lord's clash.
And while Khawaja knows he is closer to the end of his career than the start, the 38-year-old believes he is still at the top of his game and has no immediate thoughts of retiring while he's still contributing to the side.
"To me, age is irrelevant," Khawaja stated.
"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. 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.'

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Khawaja won't buy into Australia's opening debate for Lord's
Khawaja won't buy into Australia's opening debate for Lord's

Int'l Cricket Council

time5 hours ago

  • Int'l Cricket Council

Khawaja won't buy into Australia's opening debate for Lord's

Just how Khawaja fares during the World Test Championship Final will be pivotal to Australia's chances, with the left-hander having made the most runs for the side during the current cycle with a total of 1,422 runs prior to the Lord's clash. And while Khawaja knows he is closer to the end of his career than the start, the 38-year-old believes he is still at the top of his game and has no immediate thoughts of retiring while he's still contributing to the side. "To me, age is irrelevant," Khawaja stated. "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. 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.'

ICC World Test Championship Final: Australia squad profiles
ICC World Test Championship Final: Australia squad profiles

Int'l Cricket Council

time8 hours ago

  • Int'l Cricket Council

ICC World Test Championship Final: Australia squad profiles

Members of the media can download the pre-Final captains' photo in the 'photos' section of the ICC Online Media Zone here. Australia have named a 15-man squad who will bid to retain their ICC World Test Championship final at Lord's. From seasoned campaigners to exciting new faces, here is who are in contention to make the final XI. Pat Cummins Now 32, Australia skipper Pat Cummins has established himself as one of the great fast bowlers in his country's storied history. It has been 14 years since he made his Test debut as an 18-year-old and his 294 Test wickets put him eighth all time among Australians, with Glenn McGrath the only player with a better bowling average than Cummins' 22.43 of the top 10. Scott Boland A late bloomer, Scott Boland has made up for lost time since making his Test debut at the age of 32, taking six for seven on debut against England at the MCG. Now 13 Tests into his Australia career, his bowling average of 17.66 is third in the all-time list for the Baggy Green. Alex Carey Another one who had to bide his time, Alex Carey was a talented Australian rules footballer before turning his focus to cricket. Since breaking into the white-ball team in 2018, the wicket-keeper batter has helped Australia to ICC Men's Cricket World Cup glory, as well as cementing his position in the Test side. Cameron Green First capped aged just 21, Cameron Green is back for the World Test Championship Final after a back surgery kept him sidelined for six months. An all-rounder, he is currently just available as a batter but scored an unbeaten 174 the last time he played Test cricket to steer Australia to victory in New Zealand in 2024. Josh Hazlewood Along with Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood has been a mainstay of the Australian fast-bowling attack for a decade. A double ICC Men's Cricket World Cup winner, his 279 Test wickets put him inside Australia's all-time top 10, 11 years on from his first appearance with the Baggy Green. Travis Head Australia's Mr Everything, Travis Head has been a key contributor for his country in every format of the game. A handy offspinner as well as a top order batter, Head was the hero as Australia won the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in 2023 with a century in the final, while he also made a sparkling 163 in the World Test Championship Final the same year as India were beaten at The Oval. Josh Inglis Born in Leeds, Josh Inglis will return to the country of his birth for the World Test Championship final. The wicketkeeper enjoyed a fine start to his Test career against Sri Lanka earlier this year, scoring a century in the 2-0 series victory. Usman Khawaja The oldest player in the Australia squad, 38-year-old Usman Khawaja is now firmly established as an opener, having started his career batting at No.3. The first player of Pakistani origin to represent Australia, he returns to Lord's two years on from a crucial half-century in an Ashes victory over England. Sam Konstas At 19, Sam Konstas is half the age of his opening partner Usman Khawaja but showed no signs of youthful nerves when making his Test debut in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last December. An attacking batter by nature, his half-century in that MCG encounter was the third fastest ever by an Australian debutant. Matt Kuhnemann Left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann has enjoyed plenty of success with the ball in his relatively short Test career, taking 25 wickets at an average of just over 22. He has played all five of his Tests in sub-continental conditions as he stakes a claim to be Nathan Lyon's long-term successor. Marnus Labuschagne Born in South Africa, Marnus Labuschagne moved to Australia at the age of 10 and has been a firm fixture in the No.3 spot for more than half a decade. He is familiar with conditions in the UK, having played club cricket in England when he first broke through and more recently enjoying several stints with Glamorgan, including a two-match spell in the build-up to this year's WTC Final. Nathan Lyon One of just nine players in history to have taken 500 Test wickets, Nathan Lyon is closing in on Glenn McGrath as Australia's second most prolific Test bowler. Now 37, Lyon has not looked back since removing Kumar Sangakkara with his very first ball in Test cricket back in 2011. Steve Smith From leg-spinning all-rounder to one of the greatest batters ever to represent Australia, Steve Smith has had quite a journey over the past decade and a half. Only Ricky Ponting has more Test centuries for Australia, while Smith's batting average of 56.74 is second among players with 10,000 Test runs. Mitchell Starc Completing the trio of fast-bowling greats in the current Australia squad, Mitchell Starc is one of the most accomplished bowlers across all formats. He holds the record for the fastest ball bowled in Test cricket, a 160.4kp/h rocket a decade ago, while he is fast approaching the 400-wicket club in Tests, good enough for third in the all-time Australian list. Beau Webster A handy all-rounder, Beau Webster has made a fast start to his international career, averaging 50 with the bat and 24 with the ball after three Tests. He enjoyed a stellar debut against India in Sydney in January, scoring 57 and 39 not out in a six-wicket win. ENDS

Australia struggle to fill gaping opener hole left by Warner with WTC final looming
Australia struggle to fill gaping opener hole left by Warner with WTC final looming

Gulf Today

time2 days ago

  • Gulf Today

Australia struggle to fill gaping opener hole left by Warner with WTC final looming

Filling the giant shoes of David Warner continues to be a headache for Australia 17 months after the bombastic Test opener retired, with Marnus Labuschagne shaping as the latest contender in the World Test Championship final against South Africa. Warner pulled stumps on the red-ball game in January last year after 112 Tests and 8,786 runs, long accompanied at the top of the order by Usman Khawaja. Khawaja will open again in the blockbuster clash at Lord's starting on June 11, potentially with a fifth different partner since Warner called it quits. Steve Smith initially plugged the hole, but only lasted four Tests before dropping back down to four and giving Nathan McSweeney a chance. McSweeney struggled against the Jasprit Bumrah-led India late last year, with gung-ho teenager Sam Konstas then thrust into the limelight in spectacular fashion during the home series. He scored a blazing 60 with a slew of unorthodox shots on debut, but was less effective in the next Test and was jettisoned in favour of Travis Head for their tour of Sri Lanka this year. With Head set to revert to five, the chatter is that it's now a toss-up between Konstas, who has been working on technical aspects of his batting, and Labuschagne to open against the Proteas. But the experienced Labuschagne has struggled for form at number three and is under threat from Cameron Green, who has been in magnificent touch since returning from back surgery. Green has plundered three centuries in five county championship matches for Gloucester and is tipped to start at first drop, which could thrust Labuschagne to the top of the Test order for the first time aged 30. 'I have just got a bit of a feeling that Marnus Labuschagne might be pushed up the order to open the batting with Khawaja,' Australia great Ricky Ponting said on the ICC Review. 'I think Green will bat at three and Steve Smith will be at four. Then it's Travis Head at five.' Since Ponting commented, Australia skipper Pat Cummins has confirmed that Smith will bat at four, but added: 'Everyone else, I'm not willing to (say).' Josh Inglis has not been discounted to open either with chief selector George Bailey insisting the position does not need to be a specialist role. 'I do think it's a role that more people could do,' he said. Australia could be searching for yet another new opener sooner rather than later with uncertainty over whether 38-year-old Khawaja will continue after the home Ashes series against England beginning later this year. But fellow veteran Smith, 36, shows few signs of slowing down. He has hit four hundreds in his past five Tests and often excels in English conditions. He starred in Australia's triumph in the last WTC final in 2023 at the Oval, scoring a first-innings century that helped set the tone for a big win over India. Smith was also in red-hot form the last time he played a Test at Lord's, smacking a ton against England while making his second-highest Test score of 215 at the ground in 2015. 'We have got some pretty fond memories at Lord's and personally I have got some fond memories as well, so we are looking forward to getting started,' Smith told reporters. Meanwhile, Australian fast bowler Starc is comfortable with his decision to leave the Indian Premier League (IPL) following the India-Pakistan clashes last month regardless of any repercussions, the 35-year-old said. The IPL was suspended on May 9 in the wake of hostilities between the two. It resumed on May 17 after the nuclear-armed neighbours agreed to a ceasefire. 'I'm comfortable with my decision and how I felt about the whole situation and how it was handled,' Starc told the Sydney Morning Herald on Friday. 'Time will tell with repercussions or how it looks with guys that didn't return. But I've had my questions and concerns leading into that game, and obviously we saw what happened, which played a part in my decision.' Agencies

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