"My wife hates it," says Usman Khawaja as he opens up on retirement talks

Ahead of the two-match Test series against New Zealand, Australia opener Usman Khawaja has said that he is not even thinking about retiring from Test cricket.

With David Warner retiring from Tests last month, Usman Khawaja started a new phase in his Test career as he opened the innings with a new partner during the two-match Test series against West Indies. He and Steve Smith opened against the Caribbean outfit and will be opening the batting against New Zealand as well.

The Australia star Usman Khawaja enjoyed a stunning outing in Tests last year and was adjudged the ICC Test Player of the Year. He scored 1210 runs in 3 Tests and notched up centuries in India as well as England. He helped Australia win their first ICC World Test Championship title and retain the Ashes.

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Usman Khawaja not thinking about retirement:

At 37, Usman Khawaja is not getting any younger and many believe that his days in Test cricket are numbered. However, the opener is not thinking about retirement at present and said that “there is no finishing line” in sight. He stated that he is just focused on the present and contributing to the team.

“I’m trying not to look too far ahead, No.1 because I don’t trust the game, the game’s tough. And I know not to look too far ahead because it can bring you back down to reality very quickly,” said Usman Khawaja.

“I understand I’m 37, so people always ask me about the finishing line, but we’ve got a few guys like Nathan Lyon’s 36, Smith’s 35, we’ve got a few experienced players in the team. But for me it’s just about contributing for the team and I’ve said before making sure I’m enjoying it, making sure I’m mentally ready to play at the Test level,” he added.

Speaking further, Usman Khawaja talked about the big gap in the Test calendar. After the Test series against New Zealand, Australia won’t be playing a series until the home series against India, starting in December. The veteran batsman said that he is not planning for it at the moment while also revealing that his wife hates his habit of not planning for the future.

“I don’t want to look too far ahead because two years is a long time in sport, one year is a long time in sport, three years is a long time in sport and so there is a decent gap coming up,” he said.

“So for me I guess there is no finishing line. Honestly, someone says, ‘Can you see yourself playing next summer’? I’m probably like, ‘Yeah’, but I’m not gonna let my mind drift off there.

“So for me, it’s just about this next Test match, this next innings, then I’ll worry about the next. My wife hates it ‘cause I’m not a planner and I don’t plan for that reason.

“She’s like, ‘Oh, when are you leaving for your flight?’ the other day. And I’m like, ‘I don’t know’. She’s like, ‘You’re flying tomorrow’. I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’ll figure that out tonight’.

“She hates it ‘cause she likes to plan. I’m just sort of go with the flow kind of thing. And I think that’s what helps me a little bit with cricket and making sure I don’t look too far ahead ‘cause it didn’t pass when I have looked too far ahead, that’s when I got myself in trouble,” he added.

Khawaja will be looking to hit the ground running in his first overseas Test of the year. Australia will also be aiming to bounce back after being stunned by the West Indies in the Brisbane Test earlier this month.

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