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Test opener Usman Khawaja created a stir last week within Australian cricket when he pushed for state teammate Matt Renshaw to partner him at the top of the order, and his forthright comments about the batting line-up.
“Queensland … one, two and three would be great,” Khawaja said leading into the Bulls’ Sheffield Shield clash with NSW.
“I think our best line-up has Marnus three, [Steve] Smith four and [Travis] Head five.”
Renshaw has not worn the baggy green since the series in India in 2023, and last opened in a Test in the final match of the infamous series against South Africa in 2018 in the immediate aftermath to the ball-tampering scandal.
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“He has not done himself any harm in the way he has played in the last three matches,” Khawaja said of Renshaw’s one-day international form.
“He’s looked the part, which he always does when he goes to the next level. You feel like he is the one guy who actually belongs at the next level.”
“Obviously, I am a little biased because he’s a friend of mine and he has been there and done it. He has scored 180 for Australia. He has been in and out of the Australian team, and I think that’s a really good thing.”
Cameron Green’s availability to bowl is seen as the central question in the composition of the squad. It has ramifications as to whether Marnus Labuschagne returns to his customary position at three or earns a recall as an opener.
