"When I wasn't picked in middle order...": Usman Khawaja speaks on struggles with selection before retirement

Sydney [Australia], January 2 (ANI): Usman Khawaja, who has confirmed his international retirement after the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney against England, reflected on his recent struggle with selection in the third Ashes after missing the second game due to back spasms.
He felt frustrated when he wasn't picked for the third Test, despite believing he could've fitted into the middle order.
Khawaja suffered back spasms in the first Test, which ruled him out of the second game. Khawaja was ready to go in the third test, but he did not initially make it in the playing 11. Steve Smith's health problems allowed Khawaja to come back into the team on match morning at Adelaide Oval.
"Trying to get back to the Brisbane game, trying to play that and not being able to come back sucked. But then in Adelaide, when I didn't get picked again - obviously Heady and Weathers were doing well, but I felt like I could've easily slotted back into the middle order then. When I wasn't picked in the middle order, that was pretty much it," Usman Khawaja said as per the Sydney Morning Herald website.
The 39-year-old Khawaja will enter his last Test with 87 matches and 6206 runs, including 16 centuries and 28 half-centuries. He has an average of 43.39 in 157 innings.
The veteran cricketer confirmed his international retirement during a 50-minute press conference at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.
Khawaja said he was trying not to think about retirement, despite speculation about a farewell tour. Australian Head coach Andrew McDonald also thought Khawaja had more cricket left, even discussing potential tours like India in 2027.
"No matter what, I was retiring in Sydney, but that made my decision earlier than I wanted to think about it. I had tried not to think about it, just wanted to play. Everyone was talking about a farewell tour, but I refused to think about it that way, because there was still an option in my head where I thought I could play further on, potentially. That's how Ron [coach Andrew McDonald] saw it. He kept talking about India [in 2027]," Khawaja added.
"He knows how strong my record is in the subcontinent, and he's always thinking ahead. And I appreciated that, but I also didn't it was too far away for me to get there. I didn't fully close the door on it until Adelaide. If things are like this, and I'm 39 years old, then I'm happy to go now," he concluded.
Khawaja has a brilliant Test record in Asia. In 18 matches, he has slammed 1607 runs at an average of 61.80, including five hundreds and six fifties, striking at 50.09 with a best score of 232. (ANI)