Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has made a bold claim about Usman Khawaja’s future as an international cricketer. Clarke feels Khawaja has earned the right to retire on his own terms and he should announce his retirement after the fifth Test against India in Sydney.
Khawaja has not been at his best in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The left-handed opener Jasprit Bumrah has struggled against the new ball throughout the series so far. With one more test remaining, he no longer has time to prove himself.
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Michael Clarke wants Usman Khawaja to retire after the Sydney Test
While speaking on Beyond 23 Cricket Podcast, Michael Clarke spoke about Usman Khawaja’s recent form with the bat and feels he should announce his retirement after the Sydney Test against India as it is also his home country.
“This is a home Test match for Uzzie (Usman Khawaja), SCG. He was a fantastic player, an absolutely fantastic player. Come back here, score goals overseas, score goals in Australia. He’s 38 years old, I think he can be one,” he said. Clark: “A great opportunity for Ozzy to announce his retirement, and Sydney will be his last test.”
Usman Khawaja is likely to open the batting alongside youngster Sam Konstas in the fifth Test of the series in Sydney. Khawaja and Konstas scored 89 runs for the first wicket in the first innings of the Melbourne Test. Al Khawaja scored 57 and 21 goals in both halves of the match.
Michael Clarke wants a new opening pair for Australia
Michael Clarke also revealed why he wanted Usman Khawaja to announce his retirement. Australia have an away series against Sri Lanka next and Clarke wants the young opener to be unveiled ahead of next year’s Ashes series.
“I know he would like to keep playing. His form has not been as good as he would have liked throughout this series. I know we have a trip to Sri Lanka, and then we have the Ashes,” Clarke noted.
“There’s a lot of cricket in between, but I also think this could be a great opportunity for a new player to come in, open the batting, and get some Test cricket under his belt before his first Ashes Test match,” he added.
Clarke believes Al Khawaja has earned the right to retire on his own terms after impressive performances over the years. He feels it would be perfect for him to retire to his home in front of his family.
“Uzzie has earned the right to do what he wants. But I thought maybe this was the perfect time for him to finish on his own terms. In front of family and friends, the Sydney Test, what a fantastic opportunity,” the former Australia captain concluded.
Usman Khawaja in BGT 2024-25
Usman Khawaja has been a vital part of the Australian Test team over the years. The 38-year-old has scored 5592 runs at an average of 44.38 in the 77 Tests he has played so far with 15 hundreds and 27 fifties.
However, he struggled for runs in the ongoing series as he amassed just 141 runs in four Tests at an average of just 20.14. He scored only fifty runs in this series which came in the last Test match in Melbourne.
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