Test opener explains management plan that saw him miss Queensland's last match as he prepares to play in the final
Khawaja explains absence, named in Bulls' Shield final squad
Usman Khawaja has declared he is willing to push through a hamstring niggle to play for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield final after a "communication breakdown" led to a week of tension between the star batter and the state's cricket officials.
Queensland included Khawaja when they named their squad for the Shield decider today, with the group returning to Adelaide on Monday to face minor premiers South Australia in the five-day final at Karen Rolton Oval starting Wednesday.
Queensland squad: Marnus Labuschagne (c), Jack Clayton, Lachlan Hearne, Usman Khawaja, Angus Lovell, Ben McDermott, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Mark Steketee, Tom Straker, Mitchell Swepson, Callum Vidler, Jack Wildermuth
In: Usman Khawaja
Out: Jackson Sinfield
Test opener Khawaja missed the Bulls' round 10 draw with SA at the same venue to rehab a hamstring injury that flared prior to their previous match against Tasmania in Hobart. He also spent the weekend at the Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne with his family.
The left-hander hit a brilliant 127 followed by 33 not out in their round nine win over Tasmania to keep their season alive, before the Bulls batters secured enough bonus points in his absence against SA to hang onto second spot and qualify for the final.
When the squad returned from Adelaide on Wednesday, Queensland Cricket high performance boss Joe Dawes said he was unaware of Khawaja’s hamstring injury, adding that he was disappointed the 38-year-old didn't make himself available for the final round.
Responding to Dawes' claims today, Khawaja told reporters he had spoken to both Queensland and Cricket Australia physios about the injury, and it had been reported on CA's database, the Athlete Management System.
"We came back from (the Test tour of) Sri Lanka, I was still pretty sore and tired," Khawaja said.
"I had a hammy impingement, I tore my rotator cuff during the summer and it's still there now, and I had a calf niggle that I did during the first Test in Sri Lanka.
"So my body was struggling a little bit, much like 'Starcy' (Mitchell Starc), 'Cummo' (Pat Cummins) or 'Gazza' (Nathan Lyon), we all have our different workloads and management."
Khawaja, who has played 11 first-class matches (including seven Tests) since the start of the Shield season, said he devised a plan with national men's selection chair George Bailey to play one of Queensland's last three matches as well as the final, if they qualified.
The veteran batter also said he texted Queensland coach Johan Botha to let him know the plan, but did not receive a reply.
Khawaja said he felt his hamstring tighten the day before the game against Tasmania, but as it didn't worsen overnight, he played through the niggle while only being able to run at "60-70 per cent".
He completed a sprint session at Queensland training today, and will have to do so again on Sunday before a final call is made on his fitness ahead of the decider.
"The hammy is feeling pretty good, I've gone pretty hard on my loading on it over the last week-and-a-half," he said.
"If it feels like it did in Tassie, I'm still willing to push for the Shield final.
"It was just hard to push for the game before knowing that if I injured myself then I was gone for the Shield final.
"I'm more willing to push myself for the Shield final because I have a bit of a break after it."
Dawes said on Wednesday that he was told by Queensland medical staff there was no reason fitness-wise "why (Khawaja) could not have played the last game".
"It's just disappointing he didn't play a game for Queensland when he had an opportunity to," he told reporters at Brisbane airport.
"I have got a bunch of blokes here that all want to play.
"That's the decision he made, and he has communicated some of the reasons for that in the public."
Khawaja said he was "hurt" by Dawes' comments, claiming he didn't hear from anyone at Queensland Cricket following the end of the match against Tasmania, and consequently "assumed everything was fine".
"I didn't hear from Joe Dawes, I didn't hear from Botha, I didn't hear from any medical staff in Queensland Cricket," he said.
"I don't do anything without talking to Cricket Australia first – Cricket Australia always has final say.
"I don't hide from the fact that I am 38 years old and I want to have longevity in the game – I want to play for Australia as long as possible.
"I'm contracted to Cricket Australia; my goal and obligation is to them first and foremost.
"I always try to play as many games for Queensland as I can, but I can't always burn the candle at both ends."
Khawaja was captain of Queensland's last Sheffield Shield triumph in 2020-21, in which current skipper Marnus Labuschagne scored 192 to help defeat NSW in the final.
Labuschagne said Khawaja missing the previous game in Adelaide and being available for the final was "the perfect result".
"We understand if we want the best out of him, he's going to need to make sure he's ready to go and fresh so he doesn't get himself injured," he said.
Sheffield Shield final 2024-25
March 26-30 (10.35am ACDT): South Australia v Queensland, Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide
The Sheffield Shield final will be broadcast live on Foxtel, Kayo Sports, cricket.com.au and the CA Live app
Sheffield Shield standings 2024-25
| Team | M | W | L | D | N/R | Ded. | Bat | Bowl | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
SA
|
10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7.61 | 9 | 55.61 |
|
2
QLD
|
10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9.06 | 8.7 | 39.76 |
|
3
VIC
|
10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5.19 | 9.3 | 39.49 |
|
4
NSW
|
10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6.99 | 8.4 | 36.39 |
|
5
TAS
|
10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7.72 | 8.2 | 35.92 |
|
6
WA
|
10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5.83 | 8.6 | 35.43 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
D: Drawn
N/R: No results
Ded.: Deductions
Bat: Batting Bonus
Bowl: Bowling Bonus
PTS: Total points