Michael Clarke: Usman Khawaja deserves another chance to save Test career, bad back and all
Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke has called for Usman Khawaja to return to the top of the order at Brisbane, keeping alive the chance for a fairytale Sydney summer.
Michael Clarke has called for selectors to reinstate Usman Khawaja for the second Ashes Test, despite urging him to retire at the end of last summer.
The former Australian captain declared on his Beyond 23 podcast back in January that he felt a farewell at the SCG against India would be the perfect way for Khawaja to bring down the curtains on his illustrious career.
Khawaja elected to battle on, and now the chance to write his own ending is suddenly not guaranteed, after his untimely back spasms in Perth paved the way for Travis Head to come in as a pinch-hit opener and play one of the great Ashes innings of all time.
But with Australia fully supporting Khawaja’s decision to play on for these Ashes, Clarke believes selectors must keep the faith with the 38-year-old if his troublesome back responds to treatment this week.
“I think I still like (Head) at No.5 to be honest. I can’t see the selectors making a change for the second Test. I think they’ll keep the faith with Uzzie, he’s been at the top of the order for a while,” Code Sports columnist Clarke said.
“I think Khawaja stays at the top of the order for the second Test, I don’t think the Aussies are making any changes. I think they’ll stick with the same XI, assuming Cummins and Hazlewood are still not fit.”
No one in cricket knows bad backs like Clarke who had to go to extraordinary lengths in the second half of his career to stay on the field.
Clarke would have to spend hours a day on his own physical preparation to keep his chronic back and hamstrings in order and was an interested onlooker to Khawaja’s struggles in Perth and his inability to open the batting in either innings.
“I know what it’s like to have a bad back. I was surprised he didn’t open in the first innings and they got that wrong by leaving him off the field for too long. I think that was more of a surprise (in how it was handled),” Clarke said.
“But when he re-hurt his back when he went for that ball going over his head at slip, you could see he just tweaked his back again. If it’s that bad, he made the right decision not to walk out and open the batting in the second dig. And Travvy Head made the most of that.
“… I guess the courage and leadership to want to take that position opening the batting when Uzzie was injured was outstanding (from Head).
“To face the first ball as well and tell Jake Weatherald who is making his debut that he will take that first ball showed real class and leadership from Travvy.
“The way he played, we all saw it, it goes down as one of the best Ashes hundreds you will see. And will be remembered forever.
“That’s a match winning performance in a team sport. Very rarely in Test match cricket does one player have so much impact, but phenomenal from Travvy.”
From England’s point of view that’s a massive loss for them. They were in a winning position. And then ended up getting absolutely belted.
Clarke also stressed “genius” Mitchell Starc deserved rare praise for his 10-wicket performance across both innings, particularly given the conditions didn’t provide a lot of swing for one of the greatest exponents of swing bowling in the modern era.
But the former champion batsman and tactician was damning of England’s approach to facing Starc and company with the bat.
“Their batting, their shot selection in both innings was terrible. For those conditions batting in Perth, how you score your runs, particularly at the start of your innings is so important. They’ll be disappointed with that,” Clarke said.
“They’ll be disappointed they didn’t learn from their first batting innings and improve in the second.
“I think that’s a real concern. You can’t just play one way. When you’re playing sport at the highest level, yes you can have a plan, yes you can know your strengths and weaknesses, but you need to know how to adapt to conditions and adapt to the team you’re playing against.
“They probably could have been a bit more disciplined with how they faced (Starc). And even looked to be more positive to the other quicks.
“Particularly in that first innings, Boland wasn’t at his best, they could have pushed harder against him and not shut up shop, but found safer ways to try and put pressure back on Mitchell Starc.
“It will be tough for them to bounce back. They go to the Gabba, similar sort of conditions.
“I think they’ll be better for the run in Perth but I still like the Aussies in the second Test.”
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Originally published as Michael Clarke: Usman Khawaja deserves another chance to save Test career, bad back and all
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