Recently, the Australian batsman Usman Khawaja has returned to the opening spot in the ODI format. While he is running in a brilliant form with the bat, he is not worried about David Warner’s possible return in the upcoming World Cup.
After around two years later, Usman Khawaja returned to the ODI squad in this January during the home ODI series against India. In that three-match ODI series, he batted at the no.3 position and performed decently.
During the recently concluded five-match ODI series against the host side India, Usman Khawaja returned to the opening spot. He grabbed that opportunity brilliantly as he scored 50, 38, 104, 91 and 100 runs respectively in that series. The left-handed batsman won the Player of the Series award after finishing as the leading run-scorer in that series (383 runs in five innings). He played a crucial role for Australia to win that series by 3-2, while once they were trailing by 2-0.
The Australian national cricket team is currently busy to play the five-match ODI series against Pakistan in UAE. Australia has dominated in the first two ODIs as they are leading by 2-0. While the skipper and another opener Aaron Finch slammed centuries in both the games of this series, Usman Khawaja scored 24 and 88 runs.
I am just enjoying playing one-day cricket – Usman Khawaja
Before the third ODI of the series, Usman Khawaja claimed that he was enjoying the present moment. The left-handed opening batsman is not thinking about David Warner’s return in the upcoming World Cup.
He said according to the official ICC website, “It’s [World Cup] a long way away. For me, it’s [about] the next three games, [Warner’s return] is not something I have thought about at all. I am just enjoying playing one-day cricket.”
England and Wales will host the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup from 30th May to 14th July. David Warner and Steven Smith‘s suspension period will end in this week, and they will be available for the World Cup selection. If the opening batsman David Warner plays in the upcoming World Cup, either Usman Khawaja or Aaron Finch will have to leave the opening spot.
We want to be really clinical – Usman Khawaja
Meanwhile, the Australian team is not taking the remaining ODIs of the ongoing series lightly. While Australia is leading the five-match ODI series by 2-0, Usman Khawaja reminded that how they made a comeback in the recent India tour. The 32-year-old said that they wanted to make winning a habit.
Usman Khawaja said, “We saw in India they were 2-0 up and we came back to win that series. It is never quite over. We cannot take it easy now, we have got to finish it off that next game, we cannot relax, we can’t think that we have done all the hard work and that we are fine now. There is still three games left and three games is a long time in cricket.
“We want to be really clinical and we have got to keep doing it over and over again. Winning’s a habit, so hopefully, we can make it a habit.”
Pakistan and Australia will play the third ODI of the series on Wednesday (27th March) at Abu Dhabi.
After this ODI series, Australia’s next international cricket assignment will be the World Cup. Australia will start their World Cup journey on 1st June against Afghanistan at Bristol.