Sheffield Shield – Usman Khawaja replaces Queensland opener to allow stability in batting order

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Sheffield Shield – Usman Khawaja replaces Queensland opener to allow stability in batting order

Usman Khawaja will start for Queensland in the first three rounds of the Sheffield Shield, having batted at No.4 in the opening Test, as new coach Johan Botha looks to stabilize the Bulls midfield following a disappointing season. Last summer.

Despite opening the Tests, Khawaja had batted at number 4 in his last eight Shield matches since he last opened in February 2022 shortly after he was named to open the final Test of the 2021-22 Ashes series. Australia’s selectors have been silent on directing provincial teams to bat at their Test venues in Shield cricket and were happy to allow Khawaja and others to bat wherever they were needed at domestic level.

However, New South Wales coach Greg Shipperd has asked the national selectors for guidance on where to bat for Test opener Steven Smith when he returns for Shield cricket in the early summer, with speculation continuing to swirl around his batting position in the area. Test team of India series.

Meanwhile, Michael Neser will be available for the start of the domestic season after overcoming a calf problem but Xavier Bartlett is expected to miss at least the first month after suffering a hamstring injury in the first T20I at Southampton. It is understood there is hope he could be fit for the Pakistan limited-overs series in early November.

Khawaja, who captained Queensland last season, opted to bat at No.4 in his four Shield matches last summer and scored two hundreds. But he and new Queensland captain Marnus Labuschagne will only be available for the first three Shield matches this summer before they leave for the five-Test series against India. Khawaja is unlikely to be available for Shield cricket again until the end of the Test tour of Sri Lanka in February while Labuschagne may not return to Queensland until the end of the Champions Trophy in March.

Jack Clayton was Queensland’s leading run-scorer in the Shield last season and made two centuries at No.4 in Khawaja’s absence but had to bat at No. – The old lefty looks set to settle at number 4 this season and Botha praised Khawaja for helping to create stability among the bulls.

“I know Uzzie has a good record for Queensland at No. 4, but I had a chat with him and he understood what we’re trying to do by giving the younger guys stability at Nos. 4, 5, 6,” Botha told ESPNcricinfo.

“I think he realized that if he comes in at No. 4, we’re going to have to change our lineup. And he’s been great about that. He said, ‘I’ll do whatever the team needs,’ I want him to open up to get us started so that’s a good result for us.” [Test players] left after the third game.”

Khawaja is already in fine form as he helped his premier Queensland cricket club Valley to the T20 Max title last week before hitting 114 off 119 balls in Valley’s first 50-over game of the season against the onslaught from South Brisbane including Bulls trader Gurinder Sandhu.

On the bowling front, Neser looks set to be available for the start of the season after recovering from a calf problem. He bowled six overs in Queensland’s practice match against South Australia last week and bowled 10 overs against his Gold Coast side on Saturday.

“He is in a good place,” said Botha. “You never want to get injured. But I think it’s a good time where he’ll be able to freshen up a bit. He was at Hampshire. So, in a way, it’s worked well. If he starts the season and he goes. how do we go and manage that maybe a little bit, he is in a good position, a big player for us this summer.”

Bartlett’s squad struggles and injuries to fellow white-ballers Nathan Ellis (hamstring) and Riley Meredith (groin) have sidelined Australia for the UK tour as they try to manage Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc carefully ahead of the match. great work against India.

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