The Australia coach guaranteed Usman Khawaja’s selection in the Ashes finale at SCG.
Australia head coach Andrew McDonald has guaranteed Usman Khawaja’s selection in the Ashes finale at SCG, but is unsure if it will be the veteran left-hander’s last Test.
Khawaja, who turned 39 earlier this month, will have questions raised about his playing future until he announces retirement.
A back injury ruled him out of the second Ashes Test at Gabba and the southpaw was then not picked for the third Test in Adelaide.
During the Ashes opener at Perth, Khawaja sustained back spasms and wasn’t able to open in the first innings due to time spent off the field. His condition deteriorated when he took the field for Australia's second bowling innings, ultimately ending his time in the second Test at Gabba.
The southpaw was not supposed to pick for the third Test, but Steve Smith’s battle with vertigo symptoms paved the way for his inclusion at the last minute. Khawaja produced knocks of 82 and 40 in Australia’s Ashes-clinching win at the Adelaide Oval, thereby sealing his place for the rest of the series.
"He's with his family at the moment having a couple of days off," McDonald said in a press conference at MCG. "We're always having conversations about where players are at, there's no indication at my end that he's calling it in Sydney.
"But his performance in this calendar year has been good enough to warrant selection, so I'd say he'll be there marking centre in Sydney."
After Sydney, Australia’s next Test is scheduled against Bangladesh at home in August 2026. It will be followed by a tour of South Africa, a home series against New Zealand and a tour of India.
With eight months until the next Test assignment, McDonald said any decisions around Khawaja's future can wait.
"I think Uz will come to us if he's going to retire, there's no doubt about that," the coach stated. "And then after this Test match, we've got eight months until the next one, so we've got a lot of time as a selection group to make that decision.
"If there was a series straight off the back of this, then it would be a little bit different. But with the eight-month gap, as a selection panel, we've got a lot of time to think about our next Test team should Uz push forward."
Even though he represents Queensland, Usman Khawaja grew up in Sydney after moving from Pakistan with his family at an early age. He would be warmly received by the SCG crowd should he decide it is his farewell Test.
"We use Davey Warner as a test case, he got clapped off the SCG three years in a row because everyone thought it was going to be his last Test match," McDonald said. "If Uz makes no statement around his future leading into that Test match, that crowd will still be very supportive of him.
"Our challenge is if any of our great players retire, is that you want to acknowledge them."
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)