Khawaja set to address media on Friday as retirement speculation swirls
The veteran Test batsman will front a press conference at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday morning before the team’s training session ahead of the fifth Ashes Test.
Australian Test star Usman Khawaja will front a press conference on Friday morning to address speculation about his playing future.
Khawaja, 39, will play in the fifth Ashes Test at the SCG, starting on Sunday, but his Test future beyond that is unclear.
Usman Khawaja at Australian training on Thursday at the SCG. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
A press conference is scheduled at the SCG for 8.15am and while Cricket Australia has not revealed who will speak, this masthead has confirmed Khawaja will front the media. The media opportunity has been brought forward to run before Australia’s main training session on Friday.
Khawaja has played 87 Tests for Australia, scoring 6206 runs at 43.39, including 16 centuries since his debut in 2011 in Sydney.
It has been a rollercoaster Ashes series for Khawaja, who injured his back in the first Test in Perth and didn’t feature in the next match in Brisbane. He was set to be omitted from the team for the third Test in Adelaide but came back into the XI when Steve Smith was taken ill on the morning of the match.
Khawaja has made 82, 40, 29 and 0 in his last four innings.
The SCG pitch, three days out from the fifth Ashes Test. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
Meanwhile, Australia’s batsmen got their first look at a green SCG pitch on Thursday, three days out from the fifth Test, as pressure rises on ground staff to produce a more balanced surface than the one that contributed to a two-day Test in Melbourne.
Australia’s Ashes-winning squad took part in an optional New Year’s Day training session and inspected a strip that carried a noticeable green tinge under overcast skies.
Reading too much into a pitch at such an early stage is risky, but the initial signs suggest seam movement could again play a part.
Fine weather is forecast for Friday and Saturday, but up to 10 millimetres of rain is predicted for day one, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning of a “high chance of showers, most likely in the morning and afternoon,” and a “likely” thunderstorm.
