‘Impose yourself’: Ponting urges Khawaja to be bold

Take the game on. 

That’s Ricky Ponting’s message ahead of the upcoming Ashes series for Usman Khawaja, who looms as a key pillar in Australia’s quest to retain the urn on English soil for the first time since the turn of the century.

Ponting is an unabashed fan of Australia’s incumbent number three, who is expected to overcome a hamstring problem that curtailed his World Cup campaign to take his place in the XI for the first Test at Edgbaston, starting on Thursday.

Khawaja has had a rollercoaster 12 months with bat in hand; an extraordinary Test innings in Dubai last October will be remembered as one of the greatest by an Australian in the modern era, while he also made an impressive return to the one-day side to play a key role in his country’s push to the World Cup semi-finals.

But it’s the home series against India last summer that Ponting believes can best instruct Khawaja’s plan for the Ashes, where he’ll be a key source of runs alongside returning duo Steve Smith and David Warner.

“He probably wasn’t at his best in that India series back at home,” Ponting told cricket.com.au recently of India’s 2-1 series win in which Khawaja, Australia’s senior batsman in a side gutted by suspension, averaged 28 in eight innings.

Image Id: A3D51BC9439A476199F061BDD1720242 Image Caption: Khawaja has been trying to overcome a hamstring injury since the latter stages of the World Cup // Getty

“Talking to him about it, he probably went back into his shell a little bit.

“He knew how they were going to bowl, and he probably just didn't put enough pressure back on the bowlers. He sort of sat and tried to wait on them and they were just too good most of the time.

“I think when he's scoring quite freely, he's a much better player and that's going to be the challenge for him again here. The English quicks will have some pretty good plans for him and he's just got to take it on a little bit more and impose himself on the contest a little bit more.

“If he does that, I'm sure he’ll play well.”

A closer look at Khawaja’s numbers from that Indian campaign underline Ponting’s view. The left-hander’s strike rate for the series was just 33.44, the lowest of any batsmen to score more than 100 runs, and well down on his career mark of 50 runs per 100 balls. He faced 167 deliveries across two innings in the opening Test of the summer in Adelaide but managed just 36 runs in that time, setting the trend for the series as India’s world-class attack minimised the impact of Australia’s most experienced batsman.

But Khawaja’s form this year, including an unbeaten century against Sri Lanka in Canberra to finish the Test summer and that remarkable run of form against the white ball, has Ponting bullish that the 32-year-old can have a major impact on his second Ashes tour.

Image Id: 73D6137BFE7541D9B94AB9555DDA590C Image Caption: Khawaja celebrates his century against Sri Lanka in February // Getty

As long as he doesn’t go into his shell.

“I’ve not got enough good things to say about Usman as a player,” Ponting said. “I think he's a very classy player.

“I don't think anyone ever questions his technique when he's playing well. It’s just when he gets that little bit defensive … that his technique starts to be shown up a fraction.

“But when he's moving his feet and he's out hitting the ball, I think his technique is really good.

“I know he's got most of his runs in Australia (but) that breakthrough couple of Tests he had against Pakistan in the UAE (last October), that showed a lot of class. If there was ever a question over him, it was a question (about) playing against spin bowling. So he's changed and rectified that.

“Now he’s got to find a way to score runs in tough conditions here in England, but I'm pretty confident he can do it.”

2019 Qantas Ashes Tour of England

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c), Cameron Bancroft, Pat Cummins, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner.

England squad: Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes (vc), Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.

First Test: August 1-5,Edgbaston

Tour match: Australians v Worcestershire, August 7-9

Second Test: August 14-18,Lord's

Third Test: August 22-26, Headingley

Tour match: Australians v Derbyshire, August 29-31

Fourth Test: September 4-8, Old Trafford

Fifth Test: September 12-16, The Oval