'I can't believe we're even talking about this' - Tim Paine backs 37-year-old Usman Khawaja to play longer, names potential successor

Tim Paine, who was recently appointed as the head coach for Prime Minister's XI versus India, backed the 37-year-old Usman Khawaja to play longer for Australia. The former Australia captain asserted that Khawaja's reflexes haven't slowed down and he has been batting as well as he ever had.

Khawaja, who turns 38 next month, averaged 67.50 in 2022 and 52.60 in 2023 in the longest format of the game. In 2024, the southpaw hasn't been as prolific as in the last couple of years as he is averaging 30.44. However, he will be one of the key men at the top of the order for Australia during the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against India.

Paine, who has played alongside Khawaja for the national team, quashed any speculation of imminent retirement, highlighting the left-hander’s form, temperament, and consistency as evidence of his worth in the current Aussie red-ball setup.

"I can't believe we're even talking about this," Paine remarked. "With his age, especially as a batter, it's just a number. He’s been nearly the best player in the world as an opening batter for the last two years. He doesn’t look like he's lost any of his reflexes, his eyes are sharp, and he's batting as well as he ever has," Paine said while speaking on SEN Tassie as he described the discussion around Khawaja's age as inessential.

Tim Paine backs Sam Konstas as a potential long-term successor to Usman Khawaja

Tim Paine said that if Khawaja goes through a dip in form or suffers an injury, Australia have enough talent in their ranks to fill his boots. The former wicketkeeper-batter named the 19-year-old Sam Konstas as a potential long-term successor to Khawaja.

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“If something were to happen in the short-term, I think we've got our answer. Out of the four guys playing right now, I think they would lean toward Sam Konstas. He’s played a few shots that show he’s going to be a gun; you can tell he’s ready for big moments," Paine said, speaking highly of Konstas' talent.