Khawaja primed for Test recall

Usman Khawaja is primed to make an immediate impact in his return from exile during Australia's first Test against Bangladesh.

The elegant left-hander is expected to reclaim his No.3 slot for the first of two Tests starting on Sunday in Dhaka.

It will bring to an end a near-eight month period in which Khawaja has remarkably been unable to forge his way into the Australian side in any format.

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The 30-year-old was part of Australia's squad during their Qantas tour of India earlier this year but was overlooked in favour of Shaun Marsh.

He was then robbed of another opportunity to break his dry spell when the players' union voted to boycott an Australia A tour of South Africa during their pay dispute.

With Marsh now seemingly on the outer, Khawaja has a golden opportunity to make the No.3 slot his own and prove that he can contribute on the subcontinent.

And while batting in the nets is no substitute for time at the crease, Khawaja is refusing to accept that as an excuse for underperforming.

"I think I've played cricket for long enough now to know what it's like to bat in the middle," Khawaja said on Thursday.

"I don't really believe in rust."

Khawaja memorably labelled selectors "fickle" and claimed he had been made a scapegoat when he was dropped during Australia's disastrous 3-0 series loss in Sri Lanka last year.

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The episode added to the perception that Khawaja struggles to match his best on the subcontinent, a somewhat harsh call given that he has only played four Tests there.

"I guess so. We don't play the majority of our games here but they're as important as any," he said.

"The conditions are very foreign to us, but there's nothing like going over to a different place and doing well."

The Australian squad had a rest day on Thursday but a contingent of players, led by skipper Steve Smith, visited Oxfam in Dhaka to learn about the challenges of living in urban slums.

More than 130 people have been killed by floods in rural Bangladesh and many others have fled to the major cities, where basic resources such as clean drinking water are lacking in poorer areas.

"Some of the kids and adults had amazing stories and have experienced really tough times growing up," Khawaja said.

"Although you expect in this part of the world, it really sinks in when you hear it firsthand."

Australia in Bangladesh 2017

Australia squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Ashton Agar, Jackson Bird, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade.

Bangladesh squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (c), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Sabbir Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Liton Das, Taskin Ahmed, Shafiul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Taijul Islam, Mominul Haque.

27-31 August First Test, Dhaka

4-8 September Second Test, Chittagong