"He came to my room, and we started playing Call of Duty"- Usman Khawaja on how a video game helped him 'break the ice' with James Anderson
Australian opener Usman Khawaja shares a great camaraderie with veteran England pacer James Anderson and one of the main reasons for that was that the duo shared the same dressing room for Lancashire back in 2014.
Khawaja explained how much he loves playing the video game 'Call of Duty' and that was the one thing common between him and Anderson. He feels playing the game with the veteran pacer helped them get along well.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the fourth Ashes Test in Manchester, here's what Usman Khawaja had to say about James Anderson:
"I was at Lancashire in 2014. He (Anderson) was a very quiet, reserved guy - I wasn't quite sure how to take him. Then somehow - I was addicted to Call of Duty on Play Station at the time, and so was he! That's how we broke the ice. He came to my room, and we started playing Call of Duty, and I started getting along pretty well with him after that."
Khawaja further added:
"I've got a lot of time for Jimmy - he's been an outstanding cricketer for such a long time, and he's got his own end named after him, so he must be doing something right! I think there's always room for Jimmy Anderson in the team."
Usman Khawaja doesn't look at Mark Wood as major threat
Usman Khawaja was also asked about the Australian batters' plans against speedster Mark Wood after the latter played a crucial role in England's win at Headingley.
However, Khawaja reminded the reporters that Wood took just a couple of wickets in the second innings. He stated:
"Not sure how many wickets he (Wood) took in the second innings. Genuine question. I think we negated him a bit in the second innings. He wasn't the demolisher. I think Moeen Ali bowled a really good spell."
Usman Khawaja lavished praise on off-spinner Moeen Ali and explained how his spell was a crucial factor in Australia losing at Headingley. He added:
"He's (Ali) probably forgotten a little bit because he took the wickets of Marnus and Smith, potentially the two best batters for us over the past few years. So I think that broke our back in that innings and the run chase. From my past, if you worry about one bowler, the other will get you out (smiles). So you got to worry about all of them."
With David Warner's form a real concern, it will be interesting to see who Usman Khawaja's opening partner would be in Manchester.