Usman Khawaja to miss birth of second child amid Pakistan tour
Australia's veteran batter Usman Khawaja will miss the birth of his second child, as it coincides with the tour of Pakistan. The left-hander lauded his wife for her understanding and support as he looks to build on a promising return to Test cricket.
Cricket Australia's 18-man Test squad for the three-Test series in Pakistan includes Usman Khawaja as one of the specialist batters. It will be the first time since 1998 that Australia will tour the sub-continent, after the visitors were apparently content with the security measures in place.
Speaking ahead of the upcoming tour of Pakistan, Usman Khawaja says it will be "special" to play in the country he was born in. https://t.co/FBnDmXsRTJ
In a video uploaded by Cricket Australia, the veteran said that his wife knows cricket is a priority for him, and je is excited to play in the country of his birth. The 35-year old said in this regard:
"She’s very understanding; she knows I love playing cricket; it’s very important to me; she’s very supportive of that, and she knows I try to support her any way I can. It’s going to take me a lot to come back; it is Test cricket for Australia."
"I’m sort of not thinking about it because I don’t want it to happen, but ask me if it does happen. I've still got a lot of family in Karachi. I was obviously born there, so it'll be nice, special moment to go over there and tick the last part of the subcontinent off. I think it will be great for Australian cricket too."
Australia had a successful tour of Pakistan in 1998, winning both the Test and ODI series convincingly. However, it will be a stern challenge for them in the sub-continent, having not played in the region since 2017.
"I certainly think David Warner and Khawaja would most likely start as the openers in Pakistan" - George Bailey
Meanwhile, Australian selector George Bailey has nearly confirmed Australia's openers as David Warner and Usman Khawaja for the series. The former Australian captain said that with a handful of sub-continent tours to follow, Marcus Harris would travel as a reserve opener.
"I certainly think David Warner and Khawaja would most likely start as the openers in Pakistan. But we're also aware – not that age is a be-all and end-all barrier – that both Uz and Bull are around 35. We've got a lot of subcontinent cricket coming up over the next 12-18 months, so it's important to keep focusing on a bit of a succession plan and developing Harry's skills. He's the spare opener there," Bailey said, as quoted by cricket.com.au.
A full-strength Test side is heading to Pakistan! #PAKvAUS
Full details: cricketa.us/3oyov9z https://t.co/gZIEdwlDOw
The tour kickstarts with the first Test in Rawalpindi on March 4.