Australia skipper Pat Cummins is in no mood to drop an in-form Usman Khawaja after he hit twin centuries in the Sydney Test, which Australia couldn’t win, unfortunately. The fast bowler believes that Khawaja is in such a nick that he could bat at any position from opening to number six.
"I'll preface it by saying I'm not a selector, but when someone comes out and hits twin hundreds, it's pretty hard to go past them for the week after,” Cummins said in the post-match press conference.
Cummins’ comment that Khawaja could bat anywhere from 1-6 means that Marcus Harris, who hasn’t really shone in the fours Tests so far, might be in danger of losing his place as an opener in the XI. And it was clear from Cummins’ next statement.
“We'll work through that, the selectors will work through that the next few days. But when someone's running hot, has got a heap of experience like Uzzy, the way he plays is fantastic,” said Cummins.
"I felt like he could replace any batter from one to six. I know there's been question marks historically on him playing over in Asia but you see how well he's played spin recently - reverse sweeping, sweeping - he's just someone who's in total command of his game. That's why you love experience,” he added further.
Khawaja played in the Sydney Test as a replacement to Travis Head, who would be fit to play in the Hobart Test. The Hobart Test, which would be the last in the five-match series, will begin from Friday, January 14 and would be a day-night affair.