Australia head coach vows to protect Usman Khawaja's Test career despite batting slump in WTC Final

Australia head coach Andrew McDonald is not ready to drop guards for under-fire opener and batting great Usman Khawaja despite his twin failures in the just-concluded WTC Final at the Lord’s. With Australia failing to defend their Test title against the Proteas, who claimed their maiden crown with a five-wicket win, the questions began to rise on Khawaja’s future, considering his dip in form and age; McDonald, however, has backed him to retain his spot for the home Ashes later this year.

With Australia set to host England for five Tests, and given their ageing squad at the helm, the head coach stressed the need to work on acquiring new talent in the batting order but clarified his stance on Khawaja’s role at the top. Though Marnus Labuschagne also received his backing, with McDonald calling him a ‘significant part of the team’s future’, his words for Khawaja were equally motivating, saying what he brings to the table at his best is irreplaceable.

While the Bumrah-led Indian pace attack troubled Khawaja throughout the last home summer, the Aussie opener bounced back with his career-best 232 against Sri Lanka in the away series next, proving he still has plenty to offer. However, collecting just six runs across two innings against South Africa again brought his place in jeopardy, but McDonald seems unbothered by that.

"He's on contract, he's an important player," McDonald said of Khawaja. "He gives us stability at his best at the top. And we like to look at our players at their best.

"No doubt, a couple of failures here and people then start to talk about maybe it's the end. I don't see an end date with the way he's training, the way he's preparing, the way he's moving. He went back to Shield cricket and got 100 last [season]. So I think he's got plenty of runs left in him. It'll come down to his inner drive and the way he prepares.

"It was a bit the same with Davey as well. The way he moved, we saw some positives in that. We knew that the runs were around the corner. We feel as though Usman's got a big part to play,” he continued.

Who, alongside Khawaja?

Australia tried several options in their past three series. While they started with rookie players like Nathan McSweeney and Sam Konstas, with both vacating that spot sooner, Australia tried Travis Head in Sri Lanka before handing a new role to number three Labuschagne for the WTC Final. Much to their worries, everyone failed. Commenting on the same while considering all options, McDonald said,

"I'd like to think that we're being flexible around our options in the batting order. Other people are judging that and saying that's unsettling. I think we've got a group that understands when we're home, it looks a certain way, when we're away, it can potentially shift."

Meanwhile, Australia’s next Test assignment is a three-match away tour of the West Indies starting June 25 in Barbados.