Australia’s Test batter Usman Khawaja has shared insights into the selection of his next opening partner after the imminent departure of David Warner from the longest format. While Khawaja expressed a lack of personal concern regarding the selection, he emphasized the importance of choosing a player with class over form.
“Who my next opening partner is doesn’t really matter to me, genuinely. Whoever the selectors are going to pick, they’re going to pick because they think they’re the best for the role,” said Khawaja during an interview on SEN Radio.
He dismissed the notion of a ‘bat-off’ and asserted that team selection should not solely be based on current form, highlighting the transient nature of form in cricket. Khawaja emphasized that class is a permanent attribute and suggested that the Australian team would undergo frequent changes if picked solely on current form.
“If we pick teams on form, the Australian team would be changing every second week, so you just can’t do that. Class is always permanent. Form is always temporary,” he added.
Khawaja acknowledged that making runs at the first-class level plays a role in selection but emphasized the need to consider a more extended timeframe, stating, “I think it (making runs) does (play into it). But I think if you go a bit further back for the last five years, all of the guys that are in contention would have scored a truckload of runs.”
As Australia prepares for life after David Warner, the selectors face the task of choosing a suitable opening partner for Usman Khawaja, taking into account factors beyond immediate form.
By PTI
