Australian opener Usman Khawaja has no plans on retiring at this moment. Australia will play 2 Test matches against New Zealand. But Khawaja has claimed ‘there is no finishing line’ in sight for him. Despite workload management, the 37-year-old is keen to continue playing red ball cricket.
After David Warner’s retirement, Steve Smith has been the opening partner for Khawaja. He was recently crowned the ICC Test player of the Year 2023. He an impressive outing of 1210 runs from 13 games.
“I’m trying not to look too far ahead, No.1 because I don’t trust the game, the game’s tough. And I know not to look too far ahead because it can bring you back down to reality very quickly,” Khawaja said before first Test against the Kiwis.
“I understand I’m 37, so people always ask me about the finishing line, but we’ve got a few guys like Nathan Lyon’s 36, Smith’s 35, we’ve got a few experienced players in the team. But for me it’s just about contributing for the team and I’ve said before making sure I’m enjoying it, making sure I’m mentally ready to play at the Test level,” he added.
Furthermore, Australia doesn’t play much Test matches this year. After the two-match series against the Kiwis, there is long gap. Australia will next take on India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy slated to be held in Australia in December of 2024.
With time on his side, Khawaja is unwilling to hand his boots. He hasn’t made up his mind for retirement. Thus he is willing to continue contributing for his side in the longest format of the game.
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