File photo of Usman Khawaja and David Warner© BCCI/Sportzpics
Australian Test batsman Usman Khawaja has urged national selectors to look for class over form when choosing his next opening partner after David Warner leaves the longest format next month. Warner is set to play his final Test at his home ground in Sydney against Pakistan in the final match of the three-match series starting January 3. Khawaja is not too worried about his next partner but urged the selectors to pick the right player who can flourish and succeed at the international level.
“To be honest, it doesn't really matter to me (who my next opening partner is). Whoever the selectors are going to choose, they are going to choose because they think he is the best for the role,” Khawaja told SEN Radio.
“I don't even believe in the 'bat-off' that people are talking about now. I think it's going to be a lot more than that. You can't pick teams based on form. You have to pick teams based on who you think who is the best player.
“If we picked teams based on their form, the Australian team would change every two weeks, so you just can't do that.
“Class is always permanent. Form is always temporary. It will be interesting to see which way they go. I don't really know,” he added.
Khawaja said his next opening partner should not be chosen based on the number of runs he had scored at the first-class level.
“I think it (making runs) does (catch in),” he said.
“But I think if you go back a little further over the last five years, all the guys that are in contention would have scored a truckload of points.
“It would be very similar. It just depends on how big the sample size you want to make.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Topics mentioned in this article