Australia has come out with few changes in their squad for the fourth Ashes Test. The selectors have decided not to include Usman Khawaja in the squad and have confirmed it on Tuesday.
The Right-arm pacer James Pattinson has also been rested while Peter Siddle and Mitchell Starc have been named in the 12-men squad for the Test.
Marnus Labuschagne will bat at No. 3 while Smith will be at No. 4 as Australia look to retain the Ashes in Manchester. However, all-rounder Mitchell Marsh finds himself out of favor once again despite his good all-round show against Derbyshire.
Khawaja has an average of 20.33 in six innings he played in the series so far, with a total of four scores between 13 and 40.
“The tough thing for Mitch and a few of them, is you have to bang so hard to get into the side like Matthew Wade, Marcus Harris did for example. He’s craving some continuity of playing so he can get some performance on the board, I reckon. Obviously, he’s played about thirty-odd Test matches, or about that, because we see the value of having a guy who can bat, hopefully, score hundreds in the top six and bowl pretty well.” – Coach Justin Langer said.
“He’s swinging the ball at the moment. We saw that. His seam position with the ball is outstanding. He’s very, very fit at the moment, that’s a positive sign. He’s nice and fit, got a beautiful seam position. It would have been nice from his point of view to turn his 74 into 120 not out. That’s about the banging so hard that you can’t [ignore]. That’s what we want to see from our players.” – Langer added.
“I thought his footwork patterns were moving really well the last game. I think he plays fast bowling really well. He cuts and he pulls as good as anyone. With his height, the way he can pull the ball, and he’s not intimidated by short-pitched bowling. That makes him a really good player, that’s why he’s in the squad. Whether he plays on Wednesday time will tell but they’re the things they’re looking at. Ultimately for him and for all the players, performances to ensure you have to be selected is what we’re looking for and we’ve been consistent in saying that for the last 12 months.” – Langer said.
