Usman Khawaja is giving no thoughts to potential retirement ahead of the Test series against New Zealand, adamant the next two matches are the only ones that matter and “there is no finishing line” in sight.
The 37-year-old enters the series as the recently crowned ICC Test Player of the Year after a bumper 2023 campaign during which he scored 1210 runs in 13 matches, including centuries in India and England.
He’s now bedding in a new opening partner in Steve Smith after Australian selectors opted against turning to the next generation and rewarding Sheffield Shield run machine Cameron Bancroft with a Test return.
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Despite his age and a massive 2023 workload that Khawaja said was the biggest in his 12-year career, his unwillingness to look too far ahead, in both cricket and life, ensured retirement was not on his immediate agenda.
“I’m trying not to look too far ahead, No.1 because I don’t trust the game, the game’s tough. And I know not to look too far ahead because it can bring you back down to reality very quickly,” he said ahead of the opening Test against the Black Caps on Thursday in Wellington.
“I understand I’m 37, so people always ask me about the finishing line, but we’ve got a few guys like Nathan Lyon’s 36, Smith’s 35, we’ve got a few experienced players in the team.
“But for me it’s just about contributing for the team and I’ve said before making sure I’m enjoying it, making sure I’m mentally ready to play at the Test level.”
Khawaja pointed out there was a big gap coming up in the Test calendar following the series in New Zealand. Australia doesn’t play another five-day game until the five-matches against India in the next home summer beginning in December.
That break could be crucial in aiding his quest to bat on for as long as possible, even though he won’t plan that far ahead, much to his wife’s dismay.
“I don’t want to look too far ahead because two years is a long time in sport, one year is a long time in sport, three years is a long time in sport and so there is a decent gap coming up,” he said.
“So for me I guess there is no finishing line. Honestly, someone says, ‘Can you see yourself playing next summer’? I’m probably like, ‘Yeah’, but I’m not gonna let my mind drift off there.
“So for me, it’s just about this next Test match, this next innings, then I’ll worry about the next. My wife hates it ‘cause I’m not a planner and I don’t plan for that reason.
“She’s like, ‘Oh, when are you leaving for your flight?’ the other day. And I’m like, ‘I don’t know’. She’s like, ‘You’re flying tomorrow’. I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’ll figure that out tonight’.
“She hates it ‘cause she likes to plan. I’m just sort of go with the flow kind of thing.
“And I think that’s what helps me a little bit with cricket and making sure I don’t look too far ahead ‘cause it didn’t pass when I have looked too far ahead, that’s when I got myself in trouble.”