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"Too messy": Why Khawaja won't bite Konstas Ashes debate
SEN • 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 “crisis” 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.
“What happens from here on in, I’m not a selector,” he told News Corp.
“No, I’m not gonna get in that argument. I’m not going to talk about any of my teammates. It’s just too messy. So we all wish nothing but the best for Sam, whether it’s both Australia, New South Wales, whatever it may be, he’s got a bright future ahead of him.
“And hopefully for him, he’s just learning and getting better every day. And he looks back five years from now and 10 years from now, as I guess I’m a better player than I was back then. If he’s doing that, he’ll give himself the best chance to succeed.”
Amid the rise of criticism, nit picking and questions over whether Konstas had been hailed the “future of Australian cricket” 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.
“I didn’t want to cloud his mind. I’m very mindful of that,” he continued. “I think some other people they don’t understand what a clear mind means.
“I 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 I’ve had a chat to him afterwards, too. I mean, that’s just all part and parcel of the game.”
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, it’s just outside noise.
“There’s just no point in me talking about it anymore,” he said. “I’ve said enough. Just say the same thing again.
“I’m 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 hasn’t changed the last four years.”
