Renshaw labels Khawaja among Australia’s greatest-ever batters ahead of Brisbane Test

Matt Renshaw has hailed Usman Khawaja as one of Australia’s greatest-ever batters, admitting that his Queensland teammate can keep him out of a Test recall.

Khawaja, who battled back spasms in Perth, faces pressure to revive his career as he approaches his 39th birthday and endures a dip in form. However, Renshaw, coming off a match-winning Sheffield Shield century for Queensland against Victoria, insists Khawaja can still take on England’s aggressive pace attack in the Ashes.

“He’s got an average over 40 in Test cricket, he’s played 85 games, he’s one of our best batters. He’s one of the best cricketers that Australia’s ever produced,” Renshaw told reporters at the Australian PGA pro-am at Royal Queensland on Wednesday.

Khawaja had initially been slated to represent Queensland at the pro-am, but lingering back troubles forced his withdrawal and opened the door for Renshaw to step in.

The 38-year-old is now undergoing further assessment in Brisbane after experiencing an unusual bout of spasms that emerged only on day one of the match.

The issue pushed Khawaja down to No.4 in the first innings, and he ultimately wasn’t needed during Queensland’s remarkable day-two run chase.

Travis Head’s blistering 123 while filling in as opener has renewed debate over whether the No.5 should shift up the order permanently. But if Australia opts to move on from Khawaja and return to a more traditional long-form opener, Renshaw appears ideally positioned. The left-hander last featured in a Test in February 2023 as a concussion substitute for David Warner during Australia’s dramatic collapse in Delhi.

Renshaw’s recent domestic form, however, has been compelling; a classy 112 under lights against Victoria at the Gabba this week added to a century and a 51 in his previous Sheffield Shield match. Australia’s next Test, a day-night clash at the Gabba beginning Dec.4, could further strengthen Renshaw’s case. Since 2021, he has excelled in pink-ball first-class fixtures, amassing 312 runs at 62.40, including two centuries in three matches.

Speaking of his latest Shield century, Renshaw said, “I’m happy the Queensland selectors probably saw that. Knowing that we won the game for Queensland was something that was pretty special.

“We had a lot of people missing, we had a few guys missing in that Test squad, so knowing that as a senior batter for Queensland standing up and doing my job and getting the win at midnight on day three was pretty nice.”

Meanwhile, Former Australia captain Aaron Finch says Head should play as a middle-order batter for the day-night Test, even after his explosive century as a stand-in opener in Perth.

Head’s success at the top has put pressure on Khawaja.

Finch argued that the pink ball changes the equation for Brisbane and makes Head more valuable at No. 5, where his counterattacking style can shape the match.

“If this wasn’t a pink-ball Test match coming up at the Gabba, I would tend to agree and say, you know what, maybe it is time to throw him [Head] up there and you just launch into it from day one of a Test,” Finch told ESPN’s Around The Wicket.

“But I just feel as though the fact that it is a pink-ball Test, the impact that that brand new ball can have and the impact that Travis Head can have batting at No. 5 when the pink ball does go a bit soft and the game can sort of, the wicket can flatten out. I like him at five still, just to be that real explosive player through the middle order,” he added.

Khawaja stepped in at No. 4 on the opening day in Perth, only to fall gloving a sharp rising ball from Brydon Carse. His recent form had already been under the microscope, with just one Test century in his previous 44 innings before the Ashes began.

Brisbane, however, is familiar territory for him. It’s his home Test and a venue where he has excelled under lights, topping the day-night first-class run charts at the Gabba with 502 runs at an average of 50.02.

Agencies