Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has made a bold claim on Usman Khawaja's future as an international cricketer. Clarke believes Khawaja has earned the right to retire on his own terms and should announce his retirement after the fifth Test against India in Sydney.
Khawaja has not been at his best in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The left-handed opener has struggled against Jasprit Bumrah against the new ball throughout the series so far. With one more test left, he is running out of time to prove himself.
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Michael Clarke wants Usman Khawaja to retire after the Sydney Test
While speaking on the Beyond 23 Cricket podcast, Michael Clarke spoke about Usman Khawaja's recent form with the bat and believes he should announce his retirement after the Sydney Test against India as it is also his home ground.
“This is Uzzie's (Usman Khawaja) home Test match, SCG. He was an amazing player, an absolutely amazing player. Come back, score overseas, score in Australia. He's 38, I think he would it could be a great opportunity for Uzzie to announce his retirement and Sydney to be his last Test,” Clarke said.
Usman Khawaja is likely to open alongside youngster Sam Konstas in the fifth Test of the series in Sydney. Khawaja and Konstas put on 89 runs for the first wicket in the first innings of the Melbourne Test. Khawaja scored 57 and 21 in both innings of the match.
Michael Clarke wants a new opening pair for Australia
Michael Clarke also revealed why he wants Usman Khawaja to announce his retirement. Australia have their next series away against Sri Lanka and Clarke wants a young opener to get exposure ahead of next year's Ashes series.
“I know he'd like to keep playing. His form hasn't been as good as he'd like in this series. I know we've got a trip to Sri Lanka and then we've got the Ashes,” remarked Clarke.
“There's a lot of cricket in between but I also think it could be a great opportunity for a new player to come in, open the batting, get some Test match cricket before the first Ashes Test match,” he added.
Clarke believes Khawaja has earned the right to retire on his own terms after incredible performances over the years. He feels it will be perfect for him to retreat to his home turf in front of his family.
“Uzzie has earned the right to do his thing. But I thought maybe this could be the perfect time for him to finish on his own terms. In front of family and friends, the test match at Sydney, what a wonderful opportunity,” concluded the former Australia captain.
Usman Khawaja in BGT 2024-25
Usman Khawaja has been a vital part of Australia's Test team over the years. The 38-year-old has scored 5592 runs at an average of 44.38 in the 77 Tests he has played so far with 15 hundreds and 27 fifties.
However, he struggled for runs in the ongoing series where he amassed just 141 runs in four Tests at an average of just 20.14. He scored only one fifty in this series which came in the last Test match in Melbourne.