Ashes talk won’t go away as Khawaja piles on the runs
USMAN Khawaja may not be thinking about an international recall but Australian selectors might be after the Queensland skipper scored a second straight Sheffield Shield century to stake a solid Ashes claim.
The 34-year-old raced to the top of the Sheffield Shield runscoring list as the Bulls batsman achieved a 20-year first with Matthew Renshaw also knocking out a hundred against Tasmania in Townsville.
It was the first time since 2006 that the number three, four and five batters for a team all scored centuries in a Shield game, coming after Test star Marnus Labuschagne made 136 on the opening day.
After scoring an epic 174 in his last Shield innings against South Australia, Khawaja, who played the last of his 44 Tests during the 2019 Ashes, said he refused to worry about selection any more. But he also declared he would bat anywhere if asked.
“People are always going to ask me about Test cricket, that’s fair enough, there is an Ashes coming up,” Khawaja said. “I am just trying to win games for Queensland.”
His team was on the path to doing that, with Tasmania 4-150 at stumps, hoping a rearguard action from Jordan Silk (45 not out) and captain Beau Webster (20 not out) could keep them in the game.
Khawaja remained the standout performer and with Test opener David Warner’s firstchoice batting partner Will Pucovski yet to pad up this season and Marcus Harris out for just nine in his first innings for Victoria, Khawaja has been put in the conversation as an experienced hand for the Ashes.
But a middle-order slot could also be up for grabs with the number five and six spots set to be filled by all-rounder Cameron
Green and a yet to be confirmed batsman.
Matthew Wade filled the role last summer against India, but was overlooked for the squad picked to tour South Africa, a tour which never happened.
Travis Head was recalled for that tour, but never got to strut his stuff and the South Australian has also reeled off a one-day double-hundred and a Shield innings of 163 this season to position himself for an Ashes berth.