'I’m still in good nick' - Usman Khawaja reflects on his future in Australian Test team

Veteran Australian opener Usman Khawaja will be turning 38 years old in December 2024. Despite his age, Khawaja believes that he still has what it takes to perform at the highest level. 

The star batter has played 73 Tests for Australia so far, won the ICC Test Player of the Year award for 2023, and has averaged over 50 in Tests since his return to the Australian team in 2022.

Recently, Khawaja came forward to talk about how fit he feels and revealed that he feels fit to perform at the highest level for Australia, even talking about how stunned he was when he won the ICC Test Player of the Year award recently.

“I’m still in good nick! I’m playing every game, I reckon I’m doing all right! But honestly, I’m still enjoying the games, I feel like I can still perform at the highest level. I just won ICC Test Player of the Year. Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected to win that, particularly two or three years ago when I was out of the Test side,” Khawaja told Wide World of Sports.

“A lot has happened since then, and I’m enjoying playing in this cricket team right now. I feel like I can continue to do it for the foreseeable future, but I never look too far ahead. So whether that’s one, two, or three years, I have no idea,” he added.

I’m sort of just rolling with it now: Khawaja

Furthermore, Khawaja revealed how he is not giving himself any timeline to retire, highlighting how every day is a gift for him and that he enjoys playing for Australia and will continue to do so until he can. Interestingly, Khawaja has not played for Australia since the side’s tour to New Zealand in March.

“I’m sort of just rolling with it now, but I’m not giving myself a timeline. Every day is a gift. I’m just really just enjoying playing for Australia and being a part of the process every single day,” Khawaja said.