Cricket Australia to seek explanation over Khawaja’s pitch criticism

Cricket Australia officials will seek a ‘please explain’ from veteran Test opener Usman Khawaja over his description of the Perth Stadium pitch as “a piece of shit” once he returns to the national team set-up.

Khawaja’s off-field dramas will continue leading into a crucial selection week for the 38-year-old after his incendiary remarks on Friday when he was asked about the day one wicket for the first Test.

Speaking at a lunch for the Usman Khawaja Foundation - which provides funding, education opportunities and grants for refugees and struggling remote and rural families - Khawaja took aim at the pitch presented for the Ashes opener, asking if it was “fair” to see 19 wickets fall on day one.

The Perth Test ended inside two days and match referee Ranjan Madugalle rated the pitch “very good”, a verdict which CA trumpeted in their own press release on Thursday.

CA hierarchy are believed to be privately disappointed in Khawaja’s comments. While mindful of Khawaja’s focus on the second Gabba Test, a day-night affair which begins on Thursday, CA plan to seek an explanation from Khawaja at some point before deciding if any sanction is necessary.

“[There were] 19 wickets on the first day, about 20 people got hit – that’s a great wicket, that seems real fair?” Khawaja said of the Perth pitch, which was given the best possible rating by the International Cricket Council.

“The same thing happened last year, that day one wicket ...

“Steve Smith is by far the best cricketer I’ve played with. He’s missing the middle of his bat by a long way, and he does not miss the middle of the bat. You can’t really predict up and down; your hands can’t catch up.

“Day one wicket is a piece of shit, I’m happy to say that. They do get better day two, day three, but day four they start to crack up again. We know day two and day three is usually the best time to bat, that’s why whenever we play at Perth and we win the toss we bat first hoping that we can bat again maybe end of day two into day three.”

In their press release on Thursday, CA chief of cricket James Allsopp said: “The match referee’s ‘very good’ rating justifies our belief Perth Stadium produced a pitch that provided a fair balance between bat and ball.”

Khawaja made two runs in the first innings and did not bat in the second after the drama of back spasms that required Australia’s batting order to be rejigged given his time off the field meant he was not allowed to open under cricket’s laws.

He has since declared the spasms will not prevent him playing on his adopted Gabba deck, though his struggles in Perth have raised questions around his position in what is expected to be his last Test summer.

Khawaja’s slim returns - he has averaged 30.28 since the start of 2024 - and Travis Head’s blazing 123 to win the first Test have raised the prospect of rejigging Australia’s XI in Brisbane to keep the South Australian at the top of the order.

Australia has named an unchanged squad for the second Test but are yet to confirm its line-up. Players will assemble in camp on Sunday with an optional training session at the Gabba.

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