“Being on the selection panel for the Test match, it (their demotion) was warranted”
Image courtesy of: Zimbio
Australia head coach Darren Lehmann has vowed to talk to batsman Usman Khawaja after the left-hander claimed that he and opener Joe Burns were made out to be the “scapegoats” of the national team’s disastrous tour of Sri Lanka.
Khawaja and Burns were axed for the third Test of the series after accumulating 55 runs at an average of 13.75 and 34 runs at 8.50 respectively.
However, prior to that, they had enjoyed a lot of success in the summer as Khawaja and Burns averaged 101.85 and 52.23 respectively.
“I love these nicknames … we have the ‘GOAT’ (Greatest spinner Of All-Time in Nathan Lyon) and now we have the scapegoat (Khawaja). I love it,” Lehmann said. “He’s not on the back foot. I will chat to Usman privately, we would rather have these things played out between selectors and players.
“Being on the selection panel for the Test match, it (their demotion) was warranted. At the end of the day, there were different conditions and those two guys weren’t playing well enough, they averaged eight or seven in two Test matches.
“We had to change something, but that doesn’t affect the summer at home. We have to work out what we think the best batting line-up is for the summer.”
Khawaja and Burns are now in contention with Shaun Marsh and Cameron Bancroft to open the batting with David Warner for the first Test against South Africa next month in Perth.
Lehmann, though, revealed that he will make his decision based on their performances in the opening round of the Sheffield Shield tournament, which began on Tuesday.
“No, we are pretty open with all that (the opener’s berth),” Lehmann said. “Again it will be how they perform in these sorts of games.
“We need to chat about what we think is the best batting order to perform well for the first Test in Perth, that’s as far as we are getting at the moment.
“The guys always want more runs, that’s like anyone. It’s (the Queensland-NSW clash) a quality game to kick off the Shield season as it is in the other two states. It’s an important game for everyone involved to try and push their case forward before we meet and select.”
Meanwhile, Lehmann added that Peter Siddle is in the running to be the third seamer in Australia’s pace attack, which already includes Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
“He looked really good in the Matador Cup and by all reports he’s got some zing and zip back which is great for us,” the Australian head coach said. “He’s playing a Shield game so hopefully he will perform well and pull up well then we will see what we do.
“There will be a few spots up for grabs, but we have to see how the fitness of certain players is and how they get through. That will determine how many spots are up for grabs.”