Usman Khawaja Retirement?: Australia selectors are yet to take any decision on the future of veteran opener Usman Khawaja ahead of the fifth and final Test against England in the Ashes 2025-26. There is no clarity on whether the upcoming match will be the last Test for the left-handed batsman or not, there has been no discussion on retirement yet.
Khawaja had made his Test debut against England on this ground 15 years ago. The Sydney match is being seen as a possible farewell, although there has been no confirmation. He suffered back spasms while fielding in the Perth Test, which ruled him out of the Brisbane Test and also forced him out of an opening role.
Usman Khawaja will be the marking center in Sydney – Andrew McDonald
Usman Khawaja has continued to contribute since coming into the middle order, with only Travis Head and Alex Carey scoring more runs than him in the last two Test matches.
Australia’s head coach Andrew McDonald said that there has been no discussion regarding Khawaja’s retirement. He said that the performance of the senior batsman last year has justified his selection.
“We’re always having conversations about where players are and talking directly to players, there’s no indication from me that he’s calling it in Sydney,” McDonald told reporters in Melbourne on Monday.
He said, “His performances this calendar year have been good enough for selection, so I would say that he will be there for the center in Sydney.”
Usman Khawaja will come to us if he is going to retire – Andrew McDonald
Following the Ashes series, Australia will not play Test cricket until August, when they host Bangladesh in a two-match Test series. Australia are set to play 13 Tests between October and March, including tours to South Africa and India.
Andrew McDonald said the long gap before the next Test gives the selectors time to carefully assess Usman Khawaja’s future if he wants to continue playing.
“I think if Uz is going to retire he will come to us, there’s no doubt about that. And then after this Test match, we’ve got eight months until the next match, so as a selection group we have plenty of time to make that decision,” McDonald said.
“If there had been a series straight after, it would have been a little different. “But with an eight-month gap, as a selection panel, we have plenty of time to think about our next Test team, should the UAZs make the move.”
No need to fix it – Andrew McDonald on batting order
Australia lead the Ashes 3-1 but have had to make changes due to injuries to Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith, while other batsmen like Cameron Green, Alex Carey and Josh Inglis have been sent down the order.
Andrew McDonald said that shuffling the batting order is not a matter of concern. He said that Green’s journey from No. 3 to No. 5 and later to No. 7 was based on match conditions rather than form.
“Cameron Green did a really good job at number three in the West Indies. We are on record that the batting order is not our strong suit. There is no need to fix that,” McDonald said.
“You’ve got some key pillars and stability players, Steve Smith has four, and you’ve got the opening batsmen… He fits in around the others at the moment. He hasn’t lost any place.”
Also read: Australia leave out Cameron Green for fifth Ashes Test despite KKR’s ₹25.20 crore IPL deal
