In the forthcoming Ashes, Usman Khawaja has urged Queensland’s top three to start together, supporting Matthew Renshaw for an opening position and Marnus Labuschagne to return to the No. 3 spot.
“Queensland… one, two, and three would be great,” Khawaja remarked prior to the Bulls’ Sheffield Shield matchup with the New South Wales Blues at the Gabba. “I think our best lineup has Marnus three, (Steve) Smith four and (Travis) Head five.”
With three strong performances in his first ODI series against India and a Shield hundred against Tasmania earlier last month, Renshaw, 29, has found success in all formats, and Khawaja thinks he’s never been more ready.
“I know if Renshaw is picked that he is in the best space right now to have a crack at Australia again and be ready to score runs,” he explained. Being my opening partner and a buddy, it goes without saying that I have some bias, but he’s been there and done it. He has 184 points for Australia. I know from experience that it helps you progress, and he has been in and out of the Australian team. In the future, it enables you to draw lessons from past experiences. Rennie will be prepared whenever he has the opportunity.
In the last three one-dayer matches, he has performed well enough to not have hurt himself. He looked the part and handled the pressure incredibly well, as he always does when he advances to the next level. He is a man who truly seems to belong at the next level, in your opinion.
Khawaja made a joke about Renshaw mirroring his behavior off the field.
“I’m not shocked that he removed the CA app and isn’t examining the paper. “That is directly from the Khawaja manual,” he remarked. “I am happy that he has followed suit, as I haven’t done it in six years. So was I. When I started worrying about myself and accepting life as it is, I stopped worrying about everyone else and began to play much better.
Adding, “He literally copies everything I do,” Khawaja said. “He even lives five minutes from my house and wears DSC (cricket clothes) and Nike sneakers. He’s a “mini-Uz.”
Following a stint out of the Test team this year, Khawaja felt Labuschagne’s refocused style had brought him back to consistency. “Marnus is on the top team. He’s really energetic, so perhaps he’ll return,” he added.
“He is not hitting as many balls during training as he used to. Prior to the game in the morning, he is not hitting balls. Normally, he would spend an hour there, but now he is giving his brain a little more time to relax. He works hard all the time, but now days he chooses when to put in the effort. He is maturing and realizing that he doesn’t have to beat the odds to be prepared. Simply striking a balance is the issue.
On November 21, Australia will play England in their Ashes defense at Optus Stadium in Perth. Selectors are anticipated to announce the team in the upcoming weeks.
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