Usman Khawaja retirement?: Australia selectors have not yet made any call on veteran opener Usman Khawaja’s future ahead of the fifth and final Test against England in the Ashes 2025-26. There is no clarity on whether the upcoming match will be the last Test for the left-handed batter, with no retirement talks taking place so far.
Khawaja made his Test debut at the same ground against England 15 years ago. The Sydney match is being viewed as a possible farewell, though nothing has been confirmed. He suffered back spasms while fielding in the Perth Test, which ruled him out of the Brisbane Test and forced him out of the opening role.
Usman Khawaja Will Be There Marking Centre in Sydney – Andrew McDonald
Usman Khawaja has continued to make contributions since moving into the middle order, with only Travis Head and Alex Carey scoring more runs than him in the last two Tests.
Australia head coach Andrew McDonald said that there have been no discussions about Khawaja’s retirement. He added that the senior batter’s performances over the past year have justified his selection.
“We’re always having conversations about where players are at and speaking directly with players, there’s no indication at my end that he’s calling it in Sydney,” McDonald told reporters in Melbourne on Monday.
“His performance in this calendar year has been good enough to warrant selection so I’d say he’ll be there marking centre in Sydney,” he added.
Usman Khawaja Will Come to Us If He’s Going to Retire – Andrew McDonald
Following the Ashes series, Australia will not play Test cricket until August, when they host Bangladesh in a two-match Test series. Australia are set to play 13 Tests between October and March, including tours of South Africa and India.
Andrew McDonald said that the long gap before the next Test gives selectors time to carefully assess Usman Khawaja’s future if he wishes to continue playing.
“I think Uz will come to us if he’s going to retire, there’s no doubt about that. And then after this Test match, we’ve got eight months until the next one, so we’ve got a lot of time as a selection group to make that decision,” McDonald said.
“If there was a series straight off the back of this, then it would be a little bit different. “But with the eight-month gap, as a selection panel, we’ve got a lot of time to think about our next Test team should Uz push forward.”
It Doesn’t Have to Be Fixed – Andrew McDonald on Batting Order
Australia are leading the Ashes 3-1, but injuries to Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith have forced changes, while other batters such as Cameron Green, Alex Carey, and Josh Inglis have been moved down the order.
Andrew McDonald said that the reshuffling of the batting order is not a concern. He added that Green’s movement from No. 3 to No. 5 and later No. 7 was based on match situations rather than form.
“Cameron Green at three in the West Indies did a really good job. We’ve been on the record that batting orders aren’t a strong belief of ours. It doesn’t have to be fixed,” McDonald said.
“You’ve got some key pillars and stability players, Steve Smith at four, and you’ve got your openers … He fits around others at the moment. He hasn’t nailed down a spot.”