Usman Khawaja not stressed about criticisms of his body language following lean Ashes series
USMAN Khawaja is the first to admit that his Ashes series has not gone to plan, but the under-fire 31-year old denies he’s out of form.
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USMAN Khawaja is the first to admit that his Ashes series has not gone to plan.
But he doesn’t believe he is out of form.
The 31-year-old has scored two half-centuries in the series but said he has been disappointed overall by his performance.
“It (the summer has been) definitely less than what I hoped for,” he said.
“So it’s probably disappointing in that respect, but I still feel good.
“I feel like I’ve contributed to the first three wins in some respect, so for me it’s just about going out there to do as well as I can to hopefully set up games.”
Ian Healy labelled him “lazy” this week and criticised the No.3’s body language, while spin great Shane Warne said he was “lacking some serious presence.
“ At times there he’s made some wonderful hundreds, but the downside to him is I think he lacks a bit of intensity, lacks a bit of energy, and he’s not busy enough,” Warne said on Channel 9.
“We know he’s got the talent, it’s more his body language and his intensity when he comes to the crease. Have a presence, he’s lacking that at the moment.
“Maybe it’s just his form his down, but for me he’s lacking some serious presence as a No.3.
“We know he’s a good player but this is not good enough. He needs to be better than that.
“He can’t just stand there, block the ball and not have anything else happening. For me he’s got to be a bit more busy.”
But Khawaja firmly dismissed the suggestion he is out of form.
“It’s a bit bizarre to me,” he told ABC Grandstand.
“It’s Test match cricket – sometimes you’re not going to score at a free-flowing rate. It doesn’t mean my intent wasn’t there.
“I did find it a bit interesting though, day one on a slow wicket, that I was getting criticised but that’s Test cricket.”
SPORTING CAPITAL OF AUSTRALIA
MELBOURNE has once again proven itself as the sporting capital of Australia with near-record crowds passing through the MCG gates during the Boxing Day Test.
Day 1 of the dead-rubber drew an attendance of 88,173 people which ranked as the fourth-biggest MCG Test crowd in history.
After 14,128 people attended a bland final day, the total attendance for the Test reached 262,616 people.
The total ranked as the second-biggest attendance ever for a Boxing Day Test behind the record of 271,865 which was set against England during the 2013-14 Ashes series.
Melbourne’s attendance also dwarfed the figures of the other Tests during this series.
The first Test in Brisbane drew 130,665 fans, the second Test in Adelaide saw 199,147 people pass through the gates and the third Test in Perth recorded a total attendance of 91,955.
KEEP ON PITCHING
THE MCG pitch continued to dominate discussion, with Cricket Victoria boss Tony Dodemaide saying conversations need to be had about the drop-in deck.
Dodemaide – who played 10 Tests for Australia before turning his hand to administration – said “we’ve got to talk about” the pitch that was produced for the Test.
“We’re still learning about the technology, obviously, but I think we should be aiming for more variation, particularly as the game goes on,” he said on ABC Radio.
“You want the pitch to break up, bring more players into the game chasing runs or defending harder as the game goes on.
“I just think when you get occasions like this, you want the game to run its natural course on a deteriorating pitch as we go on – that’s the beauty of Test cricket. For mine, the conditions haven’t changed as much as they probably should.
He said that responsibility for the pitch sits with the Melbourne Cricket Club – which he said “is trying” – but that perhaps the lifespan of drop-in pitches also needed to be looked at.
HUSS A BIT SUSS
FORMER Test great Michael Hussey “isn’t buying” the suggestion that anything James Anderson was allegedly doing to the ball on Day 4 was “on the wrong side anyway”.
England coach Trevor Bayliss said commentary suggesting his side might have been treating the ball illegally was described by umpires as “a beat up”, and that if Anderson wanted the ball to swing, his thumb was scratching the wrong side.
But Hussey said he still believed the vision to be “suspicious”.
“I’m not sure about that (argument),” he said on Fox Sports.
“It was still a pretty new ball. I know that teams are generally trying to throw the ball into the ground to take a chunk out of the side. It might be the shiny side that takes a chunk out when you are throwing it in there and you have to swap sides.
“I’m not 100 per cent buying that argument.”
COOKED UP SOMETHING SPECIAL
THE Melbourne Cricket Club wasted no time in honouring its new record holder.
Alastair Cook’s first innings 244* was the highest score at the ground by a visiting batsman, surpassing Viv Richards’ 208.
And overnight on Friday, staff erected a temporary change to the members’ bar area.
The font and colouring was ever so slightly different to the other artwork, having been created onsite within 24 hours with the artist responsible for the permanent fixtures unavailable on such short notice.
And the club assured members that a permanent solution will soon be in place.
“We commend the job done by staff behind the scenes to have it in place for (Day 5),” it said.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOE
ENGLAND skipper Joe Root celebrated his 27th birthday in style.
With no one having much luck with the ball, the captain took matters into his own hands in the first session and quickly got a result.
He brought the field in and managed to draw David Warner into a slog attempt, which he then skied to be caught by James Vince. Talk about a happy birthday.
Root also appeared to receive a gift from his teammates on the MCG before play began.
MOEEN MAKEOVER?
FORMER England captain Michael Vaughan reckons he’s got just the solution for out-of-form all-rounder Moeen Ali.
Transform his value with the bat.
Vaughan said Ali can save his career by becoming a top-six batsman.
‘It will be better for the Test team. He then becomes the spare spinner and they pick [Mason] Crane or [Jack] Leach as the number one spinner,” Vaughan said on BT Sport.
“We saw at the start of last summer, they picked Liam Dawson to take the pressure of Moeen and he then did really well.
“Moeen’s got to make himself into a top six player, become the second spin option and then he will be fine.”
Being dropped for the Sydney Test could be “the best thing” for the30-year-old, Vaughan believes.
“It’s probably the best thing for Moeen … he’s got no form or confidence, just take him out the tour and he can come back for New Zealand,” he said.
“I think it will be the best thing for Moeen. Mason Crane is the reserve spinner for the Ashes tour party and for me he has to play in Sydney because Moeen is having no effect whatsoever.”
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CHANGE OF PACE
IT looked like David Warner, it walked like David Warner.
But time-wise, this was not like David Warner.
The Australian opener took his time in getting to his 86 runs at the MCG, with the innings marking his third-longest for balls faced.
The 86 from 227 balls sat behind his 253 off 286 balls against New Zealand in Perth in 2015 and his 123 from 234 balls faced against Bangladesh in Chittagong in September of this year.
BARMY ADDS TO ITS ARMY
THE Barmy Army was in full voice at the MCG, just about outnumbering Aussie supporters in the stands.
And it added another soldier to its ranks, with Victoria Police sergeant Tony presented with a signed Barmy Army shirt for his efforts with the mob this week.
“He’s been the best copper, not just on this tour, but on previous tours,” Barmy Army co-founder David Peacock said.
“On behalf of The Barmy Army, we’d like to recognise Tony.”
The group then broke into a rousing chant of “Tony’s in the army, na na na na”.
Originally published as Usman Khawaja not stressed about criticisms of his body language following lean Ashes series