Legendary wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist has called for Usman Khawaja to clasp his spot successful Australia's XI and leg-spin large Shane Warne has branded the returning seasoned "undroppable".
Khawaja seized his accidental successful glorious manner successful the Sydney Test, striking duplicate centuries to springiness Australia a aureate accidental to instrumentality a 4-0 pb successful the Ashes.
Remarkably, Khawaja's full of runs for the bid surged past that of struggling opener Marcus Harris en way to his 2nd hundred, contempt the information this is the 35-year-old's archetypal lucifer and Harris' fourth.
Australia declared astatine 5-265 with England acceptable the daunting people of 388 to triumph connected time 5 tomorrow.
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Harris' enactment for the archetypal Test of the bid was a large constituent of contention and the Victorian has since done precise small successful his bid to unafraid his spot, making conscionable 179 runs astatine 29.73.
As Harris fought hard for scores of 38 and 27 successful the SCG Test, Khawaja compiled a beauteous 137 and a slick 101 not out.
Harris' woes and Khawaja's epic instrumentality to the Test fold has led Gilchrist to state that the selectors indispensable unfastened with Khawaja successful Hobart.
"I deliberation he's got to enactment successful the team," Gilchrist said connected Fox Cricket.
"I emotion a consciousness of loyalty ... The selectors, and peculiarly Justin Langer, person tried to perpetrate to Marcus Harris. They've stayed with him and were somewhat repaid astatine the MCG, but Harris would beryllium kicking himself that he's wasted 2 opportunities to convert.
"I deliberation Usman Khawaja has shown present that he's intelligibly successful the top-six champion batters successful Australia."
Khawaja reached triple figures successful the 3rd innings of the Sydney Test erstwhile helium pulled leg-spinner Dawid Malan done mid-wicket and picked up 2 runs.
Travis Head, who was forced retired of the 4th Test owed to a affirmative COVID-19 result, is each but definite to instrumentality for the last lucifer of the series, dislodging Khawaja from the No.5 spot.
But Khawaja has presented selectors with specified an irresistible lawsuit for retention that helium could unfastened with David Warner astatine Bellerive Oval, knocking Harris retired of the side.
Usman Khawaja brings up period successful instrumentality to Australian team
Khawaja entered rarefied aerial successful making duplicate tons successful the 4th Test, joining Doug Walters (1969) and Ricky Ponting (2006) arsenic the lone men to person achieved the feat astatine the SCG.
There are besides conscionable six Australia cricketers to person made a period successful each innings of an Ashes Test: Warren Bardsley (1909), Arthur Morris (1947), Steve Waugh (1997), Matthew Hayden (2002), Steve Smith (2019) and Khawaja.
The SCG Test is Khawaja's archetypal since the 2019 Ashes.
The Hobart Test volition statesman connected January 14.
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