In the rain-affected eliminator final between the Heat and Sydney Thunder on Friday night, which was won by the visiting Brisbane side, Usman Khawaja was one of the five members of the Test squad that participated.
The BBL earlier this week informed AAP that if the Heat advance to Sunday’s challenger final against the Melbourne Renegades, Khawaja, Matt Renshaw, and Marnus Labuschagne may all play.
Mitch Swepson, a member of their Test team, will skip the game in order to participate in a spinners’ warm-up training camp that departs for India on Wednesday.
Following a hectic home summer of BBL and Test cricket, the Test hitters go for India on Tuesday and have a busy four days ahead of them.
While talking about the upcoming series against India, Usman Khawaja said, “It’s a big series. I think everyone’s excited. You guys, I’m sure pretty excited about the series. Everyone seems to be talking about it. It’s one of those things. India is for the Australian cricket team. If ashes is the pinnacle, you know, the series against India in right next to it.”
“It’s the place where it’s probably the conditions are so far different than anything we experience here. It’s always hostile. India always has a good team, always have good batsmen, they always have good spinners, and now they have good fast bowlers too. So I can’t think of a better test for our group. We’re world number 1.”
“We’ve been playing some amazing cricket over. The last year we’ve done well in the subcontinent. I mean, if this is a yardstick to measure ourself. I think this is the perfect one.”
David Warner now has more time at home before leaving for what is expected to be his final Test trip of India after the Thunder were defeated and his BBL cameo was done.
If the Thunder had advanced, he would not have said whether he would have faced the Renegades in the elimination final, but he urged his Test teammates to do so at the Heat.