Fans blast Usman Khawaja as questions mount about veteran opener’s future in Australian team
- Fans are calling for the Australian veteran to retire
- Khawja has had a worrying lack of form
- He has been without Testton for 28 innings
Fans have taken to social media to call for Usman Khawaja’s retirement after the veteran Aussie opener failed to perform on day two of the third Test against India.
Khawaja, who turns 38 next week, did well to bat with intent in the opening overs on Saturday but was bowled out for 21 after a Jasprit Bumrah delivery on day two.
Khawaja has now gone 28 innings without scoring a Test century and the pressure is well on.
“Time for Khawaja to get a tap on the shoulder,” one X user posted.
“Khawaja is no longer up to Test Match standards,” another echoed.
“Time for Khawaja to retire,” a third posted.
Questions are being raised about Usman Khawaja being in poor form
The 37-year-old has now gone 28 innings without scoring a Test century
It comes after former Australian pace bowler Brendon called for Julian Khawaja to quit the match after the Border-Gavaskar series.
‘Opening the batting in this series has been extremely difficult and I think as you get older – he’s 37… I know he’s been in the press saying, ‘I’d like to make it to the next Ashes series .’ I just can’t see that personally,” Julian told FOX Sports.
“I actually think he should probably finish this series in Australia, go on a high. I just don’t like it when players try to hold on a little bit longer and as you get older and when you are batting you open the batting against quality bowling with new balls.
“That’s very, very difficult and as you get older you’re just not as sharp anymore.”
Khawaja indicated during the week that he is not really concerned about his patchy form.
“We’ve won seven of the last nine games we’ve played,” he said.
‘What I know is that we are doing better than what the opposition is doing. In the last nine matches, no match lasted five days.
“It’s obviously been tough work for the batters in general, but that (the results) is all I’m concentrating on.
The Aussie veteran has indicated he is keen to take part in the Ashes series next year
“The batsmen are still doing what they have to do. Last year I batted pretty much every first innings in the first session (lasted), which pretty much set up the game for the team.”
India just need to draw the series to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as they are the current holders.
It means a win in Melbourne or Sydney would be enough for the tourists to retain the trophy for a fifth straight series.
India have won the last two Tests at the MCG and also achieved a much flatter drop-in wicket there in 2014-15 than the one that exists in Melbourne today.
Their past three Tests at the SCG have been draws.
If the Brisbane Test is a draw, Australia will either have to win in both Melbourne and Sydney, or win one and end in a draw in the other.