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"Too messy": Why Khawaja won't bite Konstas Ashes debate
SENÂ âą Â September 15th, 2025 1:11 pm
With just over two months before the first ball of the opening Ashes Test, Usman Khawaja is refusing to be drawn into the debate around selection and who should open for Australia.
Both the World Test Championship in June and the three-Test tour of the West Indies proved a tough hunting ground for a variety of opening partnerships.
In London Marnus Labuschagne and Khawaja struggled to get runs on the board with the former dropped for the Caribbean tour after averaging just 27.82 for the preceding 12 months.
He was replaced by teen sensation Sam Konstas who endured an equally bruising time scoring just 50 runs at an average of 8.3 for the series.
While Khawaja remained an opener for both tournaments, his numbers were not much better with a top score of 47 and average of 19.5.
It sparked a debate around an opener âcrisisâ in Australian cricket with anything possible for the forthcoming series against the old enemy which gets under way in Perth on November 21.
But with experts having their say on who deserves a spot, whether youth should get the nod over experience, Khawaja is staying firmly on the fence.
âWhat happens from here on in, Iâm not a selector,â he told News Corp.
âNo, Iâm not gonna get in that argument. Iâm not going to talk about any of my teammates. Itâs just too messy. So we all wish nothing but the best for Sam, whether itâs both Australia, New South Wales, whatever it may be, heâs got a bright future ahead of him.
âAnd hopefully for him, heâs just learning and getting better every day. And he looks back five years from now and 10 years from now, as I guess Iâm a better player than I was back then. If heâs doing that, heâll give himself the best chance to succeed.â
Amid the rise of criticism, nit picking and questions over whether Konstas had been hailed the âfuture of Australian cricketâ too soon despite his MCG heroics against India and Jasprit Bumrah last December, Khawaja was asked what kind of advice he had given the 19-year-old.
âI didnât want to cloud his mind. Iâm very mindful of that,â he continued. âI think some other people they donât understand what a clear mind means.
âI think just like everyone means well in times, but I know for a player, that sometimes less is more. But Sam needs to figure it out himself, and Iâve had a chat to him afterwards, too. I mean, thatâs just all part and parcel of the game.â
Khawaja will turn 39 during the third Ashes Test in Adelaide. For months now, some critics have suggested he should call time on his Test career, but for the Heat and Bulls star, itâs just outside noise.
âThereâs just no point in me talking about it anymore,â he said. âIâve said enough. Just say the same thing again.
âIâm very privileged to play for Australia. Love playing for Australia, so I always just play for Australia one game at a time. Treat every game as the last. And that hasnât changed the last four years.â
