He has scored 84 runs in the last five innings.
Australia opening batter Usman Khawaja continued his poor run of form after he fell for just 16 in the first innings of the second Test against West Indies in St George’s. Pressure is mounting on him with the hopes for the Ashes later this year looking grim.
Khawaja made 47 runs in the first innings in the Bridgetown Test but has a combined tally of 37 runs in the other four innings in the last three Tests. In the recent World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa, he was dismissed for a duck and six.
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Australia A beat Sri Lanka A by 198 runs
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There seems to be a pattern with Khawaja’s dismissals in Test cricket in recent times. Right-arm seamers bowling around the wicket have troubled him and it is becoming a major weakness in his game.
Since the start of 2024, Khawaja averages just 18.7 against right-arm pacers coming around the wicket. The number reads 43.6 from over the wicket. Opponents have exploited this weakness with all of his previous five dismissals coming from this angle.
The show starts in the Spice Isle!🇬🇩
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Alzarri gets rid of the opener, Khawaja!#WIvAUS | #FullAhEnergy pic.twitter.com/N1BJFrhQwz
On Thursday, Alzarri Joseph trapped him with a delivery moving in. This was an action replay of his dismissal from the second innings in Bridgetown, against the same bowler. In the WTC final, Kagiso Rabada removed him in both innings with good length deliveries pitching outside off and nipping away slightly.
Speaking on the commentary, former West Indies player Carlos Brathwaite called it an “obvious weakness” for Khawaja. Samuel Badree, former West Indies spinner, agreed to this assessment.
“The moment Khawaja comes out to bat, they’re immediately around the wicket to him because the data suggests he struggles from that angle,” Badree said.
The recent run of form and the glaring weakness has meant that Usman Khawaja has been under scrutiny for a while. Unless he turns things around, his place in the Australian side for the Ashes could be in jeopardy.
Since the start of 2024, the left-hand batter has scored 837 runs across 15 Tests at an average of 33.48. If we remove his double century in Galle on the Sri Lankan tour, that average comes down to just 24.
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Australia recently dropped Marnus Labuschagne from their playing XI owing to his dismal returns in the last couple of years. Khawaja is 38 years old and might not get a long rope.
After this West Indies series, Australia’s next Test assignment is scheduled to be the Ashes at home in November. If Khawaja doesn’t perform in the second innings of this ongoing Test, it could well be the final innings of his international career.
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