Khawaja credits Bulls move for good form

Australia

Australia batsman Usman Khawaja has credited his move to Queensland in 2012 for his improved form in recent season, and hopes he can show he deserves a third crack at the Test side on his home ground.

Khawaja moved from New South Wales three years ago and despite only playing nine Tests since his debut, feels his game has come on well, and is suited to the deck they'll play on against New Zealand.

The Bulls captain said: "I have improved a lot since I've moved up to Queensland. Boof (Oz coach Darren Lehmann) was up here, I wanted a fresh start and I have loved every bit of Queensland.

"I have trained my backside off every time I have come here trying to improve as a cricketer. But every game is a new game. There is nothing set in stone, there is nothing to say that I will come here and blast 400, I have to do a lot of hard work.

"My game always suited the Gabba. It's a ground where you get a lot of rewards as a batsman. It's tough work, it swings around, but at the same time it comes onto the bat really nicely.

"It's like the WACA, if you get yourself in, you can really go on with it and make a big one. You have to do the hard work early on to get the rewards later on."

Khawaja will bat at three in the first Test this week, and is looking for his maiden Test century in this his third chance in the side. He played six games in his first round, and three the next time before being dropped.

When asked how long the selectors will give him to prove himself this time, he said: "It's hard to say, you don't know what the selectors are thinking, that's why you don't want to leave it in the selectors hands, you want to go out and perform straight away.

"No one had a magic eight ball on how I will go. Whether I'm playing club cricket, first-class cricket or Test cricket, there's always pressure to perform. It's sport and that's what you love about it."

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