Steve Smith throws his weight behind Usman Khawaja on the latter’s Perth preparation criticism in November.
‘That was unfair’ – Steve Smith supports Khawaja on Perth preparation criticism.
Ahead of Usman Khawaja’s farewell Test match in the Ashes final at the SCG, Steven Smith remembers playing against Khawaja in age-group cricket and knew right away how outstanding a player he would become. He complimented a “wonderful career” for Khawaja.
Although there are currently no indications that any other players will retire, Khawaja’s departure signals the beginning of a change in the ageing Australian Test lineup. The team will play up to 21 Tests in 11 months starting later this year, including the run to the next World Test Championship (WTC) final prior to the 2027 Ashes in England. Smith offered a clear hint that he saw a part in leading the team through this challenging time.
“I remember playing against him in a couple of Under-17 versus Under-19 games for New South Wales and watching him bat,” Smith said. “The way he pulled the ball, I was like, this guy picks length up quicker than anyone I’ve seen. He was pulling balls off the top of the stumps. I feel like throughout his career, he’s been batting his best when he’s been doing that as well. And just his progression over a long period of time has been outstanding.”
Khawaja has frequently referred to himself as one of the most dropped cricketers, citing the seven times he was dropped from the team before 2019. However, Smith believed that Khawaja’s omissions on the subcontinent during his captaincy, which always irritated him, contributed to his development as a player against spin.
Khawaja averaged 14.62 from five Test matches in Asia before his outstanding performance against Pakistan in Dubai in 2018. He went on to score 1490 runs at 82.77 in 13 appearances after that.
“He hates it, but we dropped him,” Smith said. “I was captain at that stage and we dropped him in the subcontinent. We didn’t think he was playing the spinners as well as he does now. But he got that opportunity to go back and figure out ways to play. Whether he would have done that had he kept playing, I’m not sure. But he went back and found some different methods to defend spin. He was reversing, sweeping, and that’s a mode of defence in a way when you put the field out.
“He’s arguably one of our best players of spin now. So maybe [it was] a blessing in disguise. But the way he’s been able to play over his 15-year career… it’s a credit to him and not too many people get to go out on their own terms.”