NEW DELHI: Former England captain Michael Vaughan has weighed in on Usman Khawaja’s future ahead of the final Ashes Test at the SCG, suggesting the Sydney match could be the ideal moment for the Australian batter to call time on his Test career.
With questions growing around Khawaja’s form, fitness and consistency in recent years, there has been a strong view among fans and observers that the 39-year-old should consider retirement after the Sydney Test.
Speaking on the Stick to Cricket podcast, Vaughan pointed out that very few cricketers get the luxury of choosing how their international careers end.
“Usman has had an incredible career and not many get the chance to say goodbye on their own terms at their own venue.”
Vaughan also cautioned that prolonging a career can sometimes lead to an ending that is out of the player’s control, something he feels Khawaja should be mindful of.
“If he doesn’t do that, he runs the risk of his career ending not on his own terms. I can’t think of a better way to say goodbye than at his home ground in an Ashes series.”
Khawaja’s numbers in the ongoing Ashes underline the mixed nature of his recent form. In three matches so far, he has scored 153 runs at an average of 30.60. While those returns are respectable, injuries and patchy consistency have continued to trouble him in recent times.
