Usman Khawaja should be Australia's No. 3 rather than a stop-gap opening partner for Aaron Finch.
That's the opinion of Matthew Hayden, who was reluctant to second-guess his good mate and Australian coach Justin Langer but hoped the Finch-Khawaja top-order experiment in the UAE would be dumped for the Indian series.
Three and easy: Khawaja – who helped Queensland to victory over Victoria on Thursday – is a better bet at first drop, says Hayden.Credit:AAP
Langer enjoyed the way Finch and Khawaja gelled in the last two Tests against Pakistan, and must now decide if he perseveres with the openers for the first Test in Adelaide next Thursday, or returns Khawaja to first drop and hands Marcus Harris his debut.
Hayden has been a big fan of Khawaja and remains confused why the adopted Queensland left-hander continues to be snubbed from the one-day and T20 set-up.
Before Khawaja made 18 in Queensland's second dig against Victoria on Thursday, which followed on from his 41 in the first innings, Hayden said: "JL is a great, astute judge of character and personality.
"But long term I think I’d like to see a different combination at the top for Australia. I’m not saying who that combination is, but I think long term there has to be some different options.
"I like Usman at three. Traditionally I think your best player bats at three and I think Usman Khawaja is that player.
"And I think he needs to feel settled as well. I think he’s had a career that’s been chopped and changed and for mine I’d have him in every side, I just think he’s that good. Why he’s not playing in our one-day side and even T20 side I’m not sure.
"But he’s our best batter. I still like him at three. You’ve got other options in the opening partnerships. The trouble is you’ve got Matty Renshaw that hasn’t made a run and I think he’s an outstanding long-term prospect. You’ve got Joey Burns that has just started to get a run but he’s been short of runs.
"So selectors and this has been going on for decades, go, 'Mate, if you want to play for Australia, you’ve got to get hundreds and that’s the reality of it'. Those guys have got it all to do, really.''
Hayden joked on stage when being inducted as a Bradman honouree at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday night the top three batsmen were often referred to as ''the engine room'' when he played, and four through to seven were the ''interior decorators'' who would come in once the hard work was completed and tidy things up.
Ricky Ponting who joined his good mates Hayden and Langer at the SCG – and was one of the game's great No. 3s – said of the possible batting line-up for the Indian Test series: "If Marcus Harris and Aaron Finch go out and open the batting first day in Adelaide, if they think about getting out they’ll get out, if they think about scoring runs, they’ll score runs.
"Marcus Harris is in the best form of his career. Just think about that. Think about the good things he’s done in the lead-up. Don't let a negative result into your mind. If the openers play well Australia will win the Test series.''
Source: Read Full Article