Australia skipper Steven Smith has brushed aside the latest comments from top-order batsman Usman Khawaja, as latter believed he had been given limited chances to represent his national side while donning the white jersey on the subcontinent conditions.
“It creates a lot of instability in the team I reckon, going in and out for everyone. Never used to (change the team) before, I’m not really sure why they do it now,” Khawaja told in an interview with ABC Grandstand.
Earlier, this week, Islamabad-born 30-year-old left-handed batsman Khawaja has somewhat criticized the selection policy of Cricket Australia (CA) which according to him led to the instability, in the side after frequent changes took place since past one year, particularly for the top-six positions.
“Very hard to develop your game and play some consist cricket if you’re not getting consistent opportunities overseas, which I haven’t been getting,” Khawaja remarked.
In response, the 28-year-old Sydney-born Smith revealed the Queenslander Khawaja had been handed over quality chances by Cricket Australia (CA) national selectors in a bid to prove himself on subcontinent tours while adding the latter hasn’t been there to grab chances owing to the dismal show of late.
“I think he’s had a few opportunities on the subcontinent and just hasn’t gone to that level that he has done in Australia,” Smith told in an interview with The Back Page of Fox Sports.
Regarding the assessment of Khawaja, Smith thoroughly disapproved the comment while reiterating the former hasn’t been in best of his form in away fixtures.
“So it was tough, and he’s talking his mind now, but I don’t completely agree with everything he says,” Smith added.
Based on the set of skills and strength, the Australian cricket administration has applied the horses for courses policy while taking into consideration the unimpressive-run in Asia.
“So he [Khawaja] probably hasn’t adapted as well as we would’ve liked, and for that, he hasn’t got the opportunities in the last couple of series,” Smith further added.
Pertinently, after receiving the drubbing of the 0-3 whitewash in Sri Lanka, the High-Performance General Manager for Cricket Australia Pat Howard comments came to the fore about the fresh policy which he predicted in 2016.
Smith, who will lead Australia in the Magellan Ashes 2017-18 home series against England from November 23, admitted the fact by saying Khawaja has been phenomenal with the willow at home conditions.
“He’s been magnificent here in Australia – I think he averages 60-odd. India, to be fair, was a stride in the right direction (for Australia – I thought we played some pretty good cricket there,” Smith maintained.
Somewhat, even after the failures in the Asian conditions, Smith backed struggling Khawaja while expressing it is hard to stay out of the competition while being a professional in the gentleman’s game.
“It’s always difficult. I think he had six months where he didn’t play a game of cricket, which is tough for a professional cricketer,” Smith concluded.
Khawaja, who made his international debut in 2011 against England, played 24 Tests in which he scored 1,728 runs at an average of 45.47.