New Delhi, Dec 16 Australia head coach Andrew McDonald maintained complete confidence in Usman Khawaja despite the veteran opener being axed from the playing XI for the third Ashes Test, calling him the "important part of the group.”
Khawaja, who missed the second Test victory in Brisbane due to back spasms, was unable to open in Australia’s first innings after spending a lengthy period off the field with a back injury during England’s batting in the series opener in Perth.
Although Khawaja stated he was ‘100 per cent fit’ and ready to take part in the third Ashes Test in Adelaide, he expressed his desire to don the whites and compete for Australia despite his difficulties with both health and form.
But the veteran opener, who has thus far featured in just a solitary innings of the ongoing Ashes series against England due to back spasms, was axed from the Playing XI for the Adelaide Test.
“He has had one back injury in his whole career. I think it’s an overreaction to correlate that to the age of the athlete. He prepares well; his Shield numbers are incredibly good comparative to everyone else – I think he’s the leading runs average for the last three or four years," McDonald said on SEN Mornings.
“Every time he drops back to that level, he dominates. If that’s a determinant of who is the next best, or who is next in line in Australian cricket, then he is at the top of the pecking order there.
“He’s incredibly valued within this group. We’ve got three Test matches to go in this series – if he plays this one, fantastic, he gets that opportunity. If he doesn’t, he is still a part of this group and important. We always say, we’re going to need a squad to get there. I can’t speak highly enough for what Usman has done over the last few years for us," he added.
Khawaja turns 39 on Thursday, and his career now hangs by a thread, but McDonald remains steadfast in his belief that age is not a factor for him, the selectors, or for the opener.
“I think everyone’s getting infused around the same age and putting an end date,” he said. “It feels as though people want to hear an end date from him or from us – we are not that team. We are not going to put end dates on things.
“Everyone pushes it back into the David Warner space – Davey was clever in the fact that he was going game by game at a certain stage, and he was aware of that – he put his own end date on that, which was incredibly motivating for him.
“He put the target out there, and that was a personal decision for him. I think Uz has been on the record saying he is going Test by Test; he just loves playing Test match cricket and wants to continue to play," he said.
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