"He's just throwing the fishing line out there, as he does... he knows how to create drama" - Usman Khawaja on David Warner's recent statement
Veteran Australia opening batter Usman Khawaja has weighed in on his former teammate David Warner's recent comments about potentially coming out of retirement for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar series. Warner's comments were not well-received amid Australia's search for his replacement.
Australia's hunt for a new opening batter was confirmed when Steve Smith was slotted back to No. 4, leaving a huge gap at the top of the order. While the management were struggling to nail down the right candidate among a range of potential players, Warner raised his hand and claimed to be willing to play the Sheffield Shield and return to the first team.
The idea was instantly shot down by captain Pat Cummins and coach Andrew McDonald. Usman Khawaja did not doubt Warner's ability but opined that a return should not be entertained because he chose to retire from the game.
"Ah, big Davey's hilarious. He's just throwing the fishing line out there, as he does. He knows how to create drama. There's no doubt he could probably still do it, but he's gone, he had a great end last year, a great retirement. I love Davey ... He's still rocking the boat. That's Davey, that's why I love him. He loves stirring people up," Khawaja told the Wide World of Sports.
After much deliberation, Australia have locked down Nathan McSweeney to open the innings alongside Khawaja for the first Test against India. The South Australia batter made an impressive start to the Sheffield Shield season and even led Australia A in the two-match unofficial Test series against India A.
"I think it was a bit of tongue-in-cheek" - Usman Khawaja on David Warner's comments
Warner has been known to rile people up with his comments, and in this instance, he claimed that if the Australian team required his services, he would be willing to step up for them. Following the backlash caused by the comments, the former player said a lot of his comments were taken out of context.
Usman Khawaja added in the same interview:
"If there was an SOS I'm sure Davey would be like, 'All right, if you guys really need me...' I think it was a bit of tongue-in-cheek [talk]. I think he's quite happy playing his T20 stuff and spending time with family, and he's in a good space."
The Border-Gavaskar series is scheduled to begin from November 22 onwards. The first Test will take place at the Optus Stadium in Perth.