Star Australian Test batsman Usman Khawaja’s retirement has been on the line throughout this Ashes series. Finally, a press conference has been scheduled at the SCG on Friday morning, a day before the fifth match starts at the SCG, to address the speculations surrounding his retirement.
Going into the Ashes, Cricket Australia has been under turbulent circumstances. Several crucial players from their team, like Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, have already missed out on the series due to injuries. Even the best of batters, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith, could not produce a significant impact with the bat.
In a major development, Usman Khawaja, the veteran opener for the Aussies, is on the verge of ending his decade-long career with the Aussies. The speculations have grown louder on social media, and to reach a conclusion, Khawaja will be addressing the press.
Press meet at SCG is scheduled to address Usman Khawaja’s retirement speculations
Khawaja, who is 39, will play in the fifth Ashes Test at the SCG, as it has been reported that he is placed in the final squad for the last Test in Sydney. However, his future with the Australian team is under major doubt.
A press conference will be organized at the SCG at 8:15, and while Cricket Australia has not revealed who will speak, it has been confirmed that Khawaja will be facing the media. Until now, it has been a rollercoaster season for Khawaja in this Ashes. He batted in the first innings of the Perth Test and then missed out on the second Test in Brisbane.
After missing out on the Adelaide XI, he returned to play in the third Test as Steve Smith’s replacement and played the best innings of the series to keep his career intact. In his last four innings, Khawaja has 80, 40, 29, and a duck.
SCG curator under scrutiny after MCG blunder
After the Ashes-winning squad lost the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the ICC also claimed the pitch was unsatisfactory, as a total of 36 wickets fell across two days, which was devastating in the history of the Ashes.
Hence, immense pressure was built upon the SCG curator, Adam Lewis, after the SCG curator had accepted the fact that the day after the match, his team had gotten the pitch’s preparations wrong. Though too much reading could not be done on the SCG track, early signs show some good lateral movement for seamers.
However, Sydney has not been experiencing the finest of weather conditions, as rain has interrupted the last 6 of the 11 Tests that were scheduled to be played at this venue.
Usman Khawaja’s Test career for Australia
Usman Khawaja made his Test debut for Australia against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground back in 2011. The ground where he made his debut could also possibly be the ground for his last international match.
In these 15 years, Usman Khawaja has gone through highs and lows during his career and has played in 87 matches for Australia. In 157 innings, the batter compiled 6206 runs at an average of 43.39. With 16 centuries and 28 half-centuries to his name, Usman Khawaja is a decorated hero in the longest format of the game.
His unique Test records include Hundreds in each inning of a match, batting on each day of a 5-day match, and being the 50th fastest to 6000 runs in Test cricket. In a significant career, the 39-year-old also amassed 1554 runs in ODIs at an average of 42 and 2 centuries under his belt.
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