The Ashes 2021-22: Usman Khawaja Should Be Considered For The Ashes, Says Mark Waugh

Former Australian batsman Mark Waugh believes out-of-favor batsman, Usman Khawaja, might have a chance to play in the Ashes series later on this year. Australia lacks batting options at the top of the order and Khawaja might be the only choice, says Mark Waugh.

The left-handed Khawaja has found some form in the ongoing Sheffield Shield season. He scored a 174-run knock against South Australia at the Adelaide Oval and has a combined tally of 207 runs.

“Normally, I’d say you’d probably go past him, but with the lack of depth in that opening spot, you’ve got to think about him. He’s aged 34, we know he’s a class player; he made that 174 in the Shield match.“

“What’s the other options? You’ve got Marcus Harris, who hasn’t played yet, but he is going to play these three Shield matches at the end of October, back-to-back,” Waugh said in a conversation with RSN Central.

“Khawaja finds himself definitely with a chance” – Mark Waugh

The former Aussie player pointed out the troublesome nature of the injuries Will Pucovski has been suffering. He is a promising player but has had an unfortunate number of concussions, with the most recent one coming a week ago. There are no other real contenders for the same spot either, as pointed out by Mark Waugh.

“You’ve got Pucovski, who would be a walk-up starter, but once again he’s got concussion issues. So Khawaja finds himself definitely with a chance, given the lack of other guys knocking down the door,” Waugh said.

The Ashes 2021-22 begins on December 8 at the Gabba, followed by the second Test in Adelaide.

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