The complication is an eight-month gap until Australiaโs next Test series against Bangladesh in August. If Khawaja does not retire next week, he may not receive a central contract early next year – a potential sign of whether he remains in Cricket Australiaโs long-term plans.
Khawaja, who turned 39 this month, is the oldest specialist batsman to play Test cricket for Australia since Bob Simpson in 1977. He did not take part in the training session on Monday, like a number of other senior players. Jake Weatherald and Marnus Labuschagne were in the nets.
MCG curator Matt Page speaks with Australia coach Andrew McDonald on December 24.Credit: Getty Images
Asked if the decision would be entirely Khawajaโs, McDonald said: โItโs always a combination of conversations and where a teamโs at. Weโve got a long time until that next Test series.
โI think heโll come to us if heโs going to retire. Thereโs no doubt about that.
โIf there was a series at the back-end of this, it would be a little bit different. But with the eight-month gap as a selection panel, weโve got a lot of time to think about our next Test team should Uz push forward.โ
McDonald also has thrown his support behind MCG curator Matt Page after an extraordinary two-day Test in Melbourne.
โI thought we would have got to day three or day four, but the cricket mixed in with the surface didnโt allow that, and weโve got to take some accountability in the way that we play as well,โ McDonald said. โItโs not wholly and solely the surface.
โItโs always a tricky balance. He does an outstanding job โฆ and we have bad Test matches as well. We had a bad Test last summer [against India in Perth]. This Test, we werenโt at our best and sometimes these things can happen.
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โWe support him in what heโs done and the evolution of the MCG.
โWeโve played on difficult pitches before, and weโve been able to find a way through. In this game, we didnโt get the runs that we like. We had the game in a really good position with a 40-odd run lead at the halfway point.
โWe set high expectations in the group, and we werenโt able to execute. We believe weโre a better batting group than that.โ
Meanwhile, England seamer Gus Atkinson has been ruled out of the Sydney Test due to a hamstring injury he picked up on day two in Melbourne.
Matthew Potts, a 10-Test seamer, is expected to take Atkinsonโs place in the England XI after series-ending injuries to Jofra Archer and Mark Wood.
