Usman Khawaja all set to get his baggy green on Monday
When Australian batsman Simon Katich was presenting teenage http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Usman-Khawaja-c2729 with his baggy green for Randwick Petersham club in 2006, he did not know what to expect.
Four years later, Katich said that he had a fair idea what was coming when he was presenting the left-hander his http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-South-Wales-c823 baggy blue cap.
“I think I said to him ‘there is still one more cap left for you to get young fella’ and I was pretty sure he would get it,” stated Katich.
Khawaja is all set to get his Australian baggy green when he makes his Test debut against England on Monday. He will be the first Muslim cricketer and is widely being seen as heralding a new era for Australia.
Eyebrows have been raised over the fact that the line between the baggy green and baggy blue has become thin as there are seven players from NSW in the twelve-man squad. However, given his good form in the domestic season 2010-11, his debut is highly anticipated.
Khawaja scored 598 runs at an average of 75.76 for NSW in the Sheffield Shield 2010-11 season. He has been on the verge of making his debut for the Australian team since 2010, but luck has not been on his side.
Khawaja will finally get to make his debut as he replaced http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746’s distressed captain Ricky Ponting. The 36-year-old skipper was ruled out of the last Test match of Ashes series due to a broken finger. Khawaja will be batting at Ponting’s number three
position.
Katich raved about Khawaja’s stroke play saying he always thought that technically, he is one of the best amongst the young lot of Australian players.
Katich admitted he has seen how he progressed in the last seven years in district cricket and then for NSW.
Khawaja’s religion and background had appeared to have exercised most of the attention. His family emigrated from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 and even though he has a conservative background, Katich states that he is probably the most popular bloke in the squad.
“He doesn’t drink, but the boys don’t hold that against him. He will still go out with the boys, socialise, and then drives them home. He’s their taxi,” Katich joked.
Tags: