As if Usman Khawaja was not having it tough already, Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella tried to give him some hard time in the second innings of the ongoing second Test in Canberra. Khawaja was out for a duck during the first innings of the game. The dismissal extended his poor run of form, which has seen him score just the lone fifty in the 11 innings since his match-saving effort against Pakistan at Dubai in October last year. In the ongoing season, he has mustered just 209 runs at an average of 23.2.
Well, with form not on Khawaja’s side, Dickwella sensed an opportunity and tried to get under the Australia batsman’s skin. Fighting for his Test spot, Khawaja was grinding through the early stages while facing spinner Dilruwan Perera. Dickwella saw a perfect opportunity to strike and he grabbed it with both hands. The Sri Lanka wicketkeeper drew a connection between Khawaja’s poor form and the recently dropped Shaun and Mitch Marsh.
“No runs under his belt, no runs under his belt,” he was heard saying on Fox Cricket’s stump microphones. “I only remember Marsh brothers here.”
Khawaja – who had just allowed Kasun Rajitha to continue bowling despite tape on his bowling hand – did not hold back either, saying:
“Do you want me to tell him to take the bowling tape off his fingers?” Khawaja asked. “I can, but he won’t bowl anymore.”
Dickwella retaliated by saying: “Are you that scared of his tape?”
In reply, Khawaja said:
“Nah, I’m just saying the sportsmanship goes both ways.”
Dickwella, however, was having none of it as he ended it by saying:
“I really wish you could get some runs here. I don’t want you to feel bad after the series watching your team play on TV.”
Here is a clip showing the whole incident between Niroshan Dickwella and Usman Khawaja:
Have a listen to the banter from Dickwella behind the stumps! #AUSvSL pic.twitter.com/TtXxXQJ40n
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) February 3, 2019
Australia, meanwhile, have taken a firm grip on the game. At tea, the hosts were 67 for 3, extending their overall lead to 386.