"The things you find in my Dad's collection"- Usman Khawaja shares his childhood picture with legendary Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram
Australia opener Usman Khawaja recently shared a throwback picture of himself and former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram on his Instagram handle. Both cricketers are currently in Australia.
Khawaja is part of the Australian playing XI who are facing Pakistan in the third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Akram is part of the commentary panel for the series.
Usman Khawaja took to his official Instagram handle after stumps on Day 3 and shared a childhood picture of him alongside Wasim Akram. The southpaw mentioned that he found the picture in his father's collection. The post was captioned:
"The things you find in my Dad's collection 🤣. The great man whom I loved as a kid @wasimakramliveofficial. 🏏
Usman Khawaja opened the batting for his side when Australia came out to bat in the first innings of the third Test. He was dismissed for for 47 (143). Khawaja is currently the third-highest run-getter in the series, scoring 220 runs across five innings.
Pakistan batted first in the final Test and scored 313. Australia were then dismissed for 299 in their first innings on Day 3, conceding a nominal lead of 14 runs for the visitors. Pakistan's batting line-up collapsed dramatically in the second innings as they found themselves at 68/7 at stumps on Day 3.
"The red ball is Test cricket"- Usman Khawaja on thoughts of pink ball Tests becoming regular
Speaking to reporters recently, Usman Khawaja expressed disinterest in playing Test with a pink ball permanently. A few pundits have been suggesting the use of pink balls to avoid interruption of play due to bad light in Test matches.
They feel the games should go on by switching on the floodlights and incorporating pink balls instead of traditional red ones. Khawaja did not resonate with such views and stated that he would retire if that happened.
He was quoted as saying by nine.com.au:
"If it is, I'm retiring. I personally think it's not (the solution). The red ball is so distinct. I play white ball, I play pink ball, I play red ball and they all react so differently. But I don't make those laws, I don't make those rules. The red ball reacts way differently off the wicket, feels different off the bat, it acts different out of the hands when the bowlers are bowling. The red ball is what we grew up playing. The red ball is Test cricket."
Explaining his point of view, the 37-year-old batter continued:
"Unless you can find a way to replicate the sun, the lights aren't the same, the lights shining on a red ball is really hard to see. The pink ball is a lot better, but it doesn't react the same as the red and this is my argument. This is Test cricket."
Do you agree with Khawaja's views above? Let us know your opinions about the matter in the comments section below.