For the first time since his triumphant return to the national set-up in 2022, Usman Khawaja’s position in the Test side has come under some scrutiny.
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The left-hander has managed one half-century in his 18 most recent Test knocks, including scores of 33, 28, 16, 11, 8, 4, 13, 9 not out and 21 since February.
The nerves were apparent when he walked out to bat on Saturday morning. In the fourth over, Khawaja needlessly dived to make his ground while scampering through for a quick single. He fiddled with his padding between deliveries, poking at his thigh guard and adjusting his helmet.
The Queenslander isn’t an authoritative figure at the crease. As the bowler steams in, he peeks over his front shoulder with a hunched back and onerous look of concentration – somewhat like former coach Justin Langer.
However, Khawaja’s a noticeably more relaxed character at the non-striker’s end. He leans on his bat with a teapot stance, occasionally tending to some gardening. When strutting down the pitch, he walks with a fashionable swagger.
Just as a corporate bigwig would loosen their tie on a Friday afternoon, Khawaja undoes the strapping on his gloves at the non-striker’s end, allowing his wrists to breathe.
Khawaja’s primary objective for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been to survive Jasprit Bumrah’s opening spell, something he failed to achieve in Perth and Adelaide.
The Indian quick has terrorised Australia’s top order throughout the campaign, but he couldn’t replicate his magical spells from Perth and Adelaide. He was a fraction too short with the new Kookaburra on Saturday morning, regularly spraying down the leg side.
Khawaja took full advantage of Bumrah’s inaccuracy. He rocked back and thumped a couple of short deliveries through mid-wicket for crisp boundaries, the lone highlight of a rain-affected day one.
The Gabba has been Khawaja’s home ground for over a decade, so he knows the surface better than most. He trusts the consistent bounce, allowing length deliveries to sail harmlessly over the bails through to the wicketkeeper.
“(Khawaja) can go through the gears very easily, starting off letting the ball go, watching the new ball, but then he’ll play a fantastic pull shot just at the right time,” former Australian captain Allan Border told Fox Cricket.
“He looks really solid at the crease. You’ve got to really bowl him out, it’s got to be a good ball, he doesn’t make many mistakes.”
On the final delivery of Bumrah’s opening spell, Khawaja needlessly poked at a wide delivery with a tentative prod, grimacing as the Kookaburra flew through to gloveman Rishabh Pant after evading his outside edge. He had dodged the first hurdle.
Opening partner Nathan McSweeney gave Khawaja a congratulatory pat on the back as the duo sprinted off for Saturday’s second rain delay, and they’d have to wait another 23 hours before facing their next delivery.
With the Brisbane sun beating down on Sunday morning, Bumrah adjusted his length and saw immediate success, beating the outside edge on three consecutive deliveries before Khawaja, stuck on the crease with no footwork, tickled a length delivery through to Pant. The Australian paused at the wicket before begrudgingly turning towards the sheds, departing for 21.
Khawaja has averaged 5.67 against Bumrah this series, while each of his four dismissals this summer were taken by pace bowlers from around the wicket. India’s blueprint for removing the Australian opener has been unearthed.
Khawaja celebrates his 38th birthday on Tuesday. He recently declared his intent to continue playing through to next summer’s Ashes campaign, which would make him Australia’s oldest Test cricketer since the 1980s.
The most recent Australians to play Test cricket after their 38th birthday were former captains Steve Waugh and Border.
“If everything is going well, there is no reason why I would not want to play another summer in Australia,” Khawaja said last week.
“My body is good, my mind is good, and I am still hitting the ball well.”
Khawaja is fortunate there aren’t any openers bashing the door down at domestic level – Sam Konstas is unproven, Marcus Harris is inconsistent, while Josh Inglis and Beau Webster are suited to the middle order.
No Australian has scored more Test runs since the start of 2022, but Khawaja’s contributions have dipped each year. He averaged 67.50 in 2022, 52.60 in 2023 and 25.30 this year.
It’s not uncommon for performances to fall off once a cricketer passes 35 – recent examples include Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and David Warner.
“Naturally your body slows down,” Border explained.
“Even while I was batting (in my late thirties), I’d think, ‘Gee I’d normally cut that’. But I’d let it go.
“It would take a lot longer (to score runs) than it did when I was 28, just through the foot movement and reaction time, to pick the ball up and play the right shot.
“As I got older, you’re that yard behind. Even cover drives would squirt through for one rather than a four.
“It’s just those reaction times.”
Most Test runs for Australia after 35th birthday
2617 – Usman Khawaja
2554 – Steve Waugh
2473 – Allan Border
2323 – Michael Hussey
1996 – Chris Rogers
Border was approaching his 39th birthday when Australia embarked on its first tour of South Africa following the end of the apartheid regime in 1994. Having not featured in the rebel tours, he was eager to participate in the historic series.
However, having contributed 152 runs across three Tests with a strike rate of 29.68, Border announced his retirement following the South Africa assignment. In hindsight, he admits it was one tour too many.
“I really wanted to play against them, but I realised that I probably shouldn’t have played that one more year,” Border recalled.
“It was a bit of a carrot, but I think back now, I probably should have given it away the previous season.
“I could feel myself just getting a yard behind the ball.”
The Ashes looms as a similar “carrot” for Khawaja to target. Marquee series often bookend careers, and an Ashes swan song on home soil would be an appropriate farewell for Khawaja.
But Border warns that if Khawaja wants to pursue another 12 months in the Test arena, he can’t afford to cut any corners.
“He’s got to really do those hard yards,” Border continued.
“If that (motivation) drops off, you’ll almost guarantee that your game will drop off.
“He’s naturally a very good player … he’s put a lot of work in, don’t get me wrong, but (he needs to) keep maintaining that, and more.
“He’s got a young family now, those things then start taking priority away from the game. Maybe you start cutting corners with training, and that’s when you can drop off a little bit. That’s when people start saying, ‘Oh he’s 38, maybe it’s time to move on.’
“It just depends on his priorities, whether he has that hunger. Because as you get older, you can’t cut any corners.”
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