DOING THE RIGHT THING
Khawaja, ‘disappointed’, finds focus after chatting with Langer © Getty
Usman Khawaja has said that a frank conversation with national coach Justin Langer helped channel his energies to return to the national fold. The Australian top-notch hitter also said he might consider a late career as a freelance T20 once he’s done with his first-class and international career.
Despite a dream career for most of 2019, which saw 1,085 races at ODI averaging 49.31, Khawaja has found himself outside of Australia’s 50-year-old squad on tours to India and South Africa, as well as since the current one. in the United Kingdom. On top of that, the 33-year-old was also absent from the Australia test team against Pakistan and New Zealand once he dropped from the 2019 Ashes team. In total, Khawaja last represented Australia in any format more than 12 years ago. months.
Khawaja said prolonged ignorance was frustrating and angered him, but a chat with Langer put him at ease. “There was a bigger team (for the UK white ball tour) so it was a bit disappointing not being on the team, but I mean I’ve been in and out of teams so many times that I’ve just learned to deal with it, much better than I would have said 10 years ago, “Khawaja said according to cricket.com.au.
“I was a lot more disappointed when they let me off the India tour, because … at the time I felt like I belonged a lot to that team, I was averaging 50 in one-day cricket during that time period. I was among the three or four best scorers in the world that year so I really didn’t get it. It was a very frustrating decision and I was very angry for a period of that time.
“Fortunately I spoke to ‘JL’ (Langer) about three or four weeks after that happened … and I brought it all to light. It was a very good talk, and after that I have been very good; I have focused on New to caring about my cricket, so it shows you the importance of communication, and it was nice to have that.
“You want to ask the selectors if there is something specific that stands out (regarding your non-selection), but in this case it is not, in this case, I am a first order hitter and you have Steve Smith, Dave Warner and the captain , Aaron Finch, in front of me.
“I was hoping to be a backup hitter in that higher order that I thought this (UK tour) might have been, but I wasn’t, and that’s okay.
“We don’t have a lot of one-day games right now for me to raise my hand, but there’s a lot of cricket to come, there’s Big Bash, a lot of red ball cricket, and I still feel a lot more to do on the horizon, and I I make sure to focus on those things instead of worrying about not getting picked because I know how quickly things can change in cricket.
“I still feel like I’m pretty close (to the national team). Just talking to JL, if there’s something going on with that higher order (ODI), I’m up there, I was also on hold for this tour, so I still feel like I’m very close. In the four-day and test cricket, I’ve also had some great conversations with JL, and at the end of the day, I feel like I’m very close to that. If I score runs, I raise my hand and give myself the best chance to hitting test cricket anywhere in the top six. That’s all I can do. ”
Khawaja, who has had a stellar record in the Big Bash League with the Sydney Thunder, says he sees a long career in T20 for himself. “Absolutely, if I keep playing well and the body still feels good,” he said of the prospects of converting a T20 gun for rent in a few years. “Three years is a long time, but yeah, absolutely, I mean the top of the order, it’s a lot of fun and (T20) it’s a bit easier on the body too.”
Khawaja said he would love the idea of returning to his birth country of Pakistan for a T20 race if the opportunity presents itself. “There are many competitions around the world that I have not played in yet. I have played IPL and T20 cricket in England, but I have not played CPL (Caribbean Premier League) or PSL (Pakistan Super League) However, it would be nice to do so. Obviously , Pakistan is where my family is from, it’s where I was born and I would love to go back there one day. I haven’t been there for 11-12 years so I also like to cross that off my wish list. I have a lot of support in Pakistan and it would be good to go back and see and meet some of those people. ”
© Cricbuzz
