Khawaja: Hamstring good after T20 ton
Australia batsman Usman Khawaja says his hamstring is feeling stronger than ever after scoring a century for the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League on Sunday to all but seal his Test place for Boxing Day.
The left-hander, who opened the batting, scored a superb unbeaten 109 and helped the Thunder beat the Melbourne Stars by one run at the MCG.
Khawaja, who scored consecutive Test centuries against New Zealand earlier in the summer before getting injured, will most likely slot straight back into the Australia team to take on the West Indies in the second Test of the series.
The 29 year-old Khawaja said: "I'm stoked I got some batting time. To score a hundred in a T20 game is not an easy thing to do, so I'm just very happy with how things are working out.
"But there's still a lot of work to do so I'm trying to keep my head down. I feel really good, just normal, general soreness … I pushed myself pretty hard, in terms of my hammy rehab, in terms of my running, in terms of my conditioning work.
"My hamstrings are definitely stronger than they have been in the last three years. The last testing I had to do on Friday was a hamstring strength test and my hamstrings came up stronger than they have been in the last three years.
"I did a lot of hard work in the last four weeks. The trainers up at the NCC pushed me pretty hard. That's what I needed to do. That's all I can control."
The Australia selectors will have a tough choice on who leave out as Shaun Marsh, who replaced Khawaja, scored 182 against the Windies in the first Test.
Latest
-
NewsOn This Day in 1988 – Worcestershire’s Graeme Hick scores 405 in single innings
Hick set a 20th-century County Championship record six years before Brian Lara broke it with his 501 not out for Warwickshire.
-
NewsJofra Archer shows flashes of top form on return from injury
Archer continued his return to action in a Second XI County Championship match at Hove.
-
NewsChris Jordan says suspending IPL ‘the right call’ as he awaits return to England
There has already been plenty of debate over whether the tournament should have continued as long as it did during a public health emergency.
-
NewsOn this day in 2011: Alastair Cook was named as England’s new ODI captain
Cook replaced Andrew Strauss, who retired from one-day cricket, while Broad took over from Paul Collingwood.
-
NewsFormer Australian Test cricketer victim of targeted kidnapping, police say
MacGill played 44 Tests for Australia and took 208 wickets.
-
NewsEngland contigent start to return home after IPL postponed due to coronavirus
The majority of England’s players at the tournament are expected to fly home imminently.
-
NewsEnglish contingent aiming to secure flights home with IPL postponed due to Covid
Positive cases in three of the eight franchises effectively proved that the players’ bio-secure bubbles were no longer able to stave off the threat.
-
NewsQ&A: What’s happened to this year’s IPL and what does it all mean?
There are 11 English representatives still involved.
-
NewsIPL postponed with immediate effect amid rising coronavirus cases in India
The BCCI does “not want to compromise on the safety of the players, support staff and the other participants involved” in organising the tournament.
-
NewsEngland replaced at the top of ODI rankings but keep Twenty20 crown
New Zealand now top the one-day international table, with England down in fourth.