Usman Khawaja will dust off the pads this weekend, turning out for Queensland in Saturday’s Sheffield Shield curtain-raiser at Allan Border Field. The 38-year-old left-hander, short of match time since July’s Caribbean tour, partners fellow ex-Test batter Matthew Renshaw at the top, while Marnus Labuschagne captains and is pencilled in at No. 3.
Queensland want Khawaja sharp for the Ashes opener in Perth on 21 November. They will, as the state put it on Tuesday, “work with Cricket Australia and support their plans for Khawaja’s individual playing preparations”. Translation: he probably won’t be asked to grind through all four early-season Shield rounds.
Labuschagne, out of the Test side since last summer, has first crack at reminding selectors he can still solve England’s new-ball puzzle. He leads a squad missing several regular bowlers – Xavier Bartlett is on T20 duty in New Zealand, while Callum Vidler (back) and Mark Steketee (hamstring) are in the rehab group – but bolstered by fresh faces.
Hugh Weibgen, Australia’s Under-19 World Cup-winning captain, is set for a first-class debut after belting an unbeaten 115 from 94 deliveries in the Dean Jones Trophy. Former New South Wales all-rounder Hayden Kerr, who has not played a red-ball match since October 2023, could also slot straight in.
Queensland’s seam resources are light, yet Michael Neser, Gurinder Sandhu and Jack Wildermuth provide enough new-ball nous. Leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson completes a balanced attack on what is usually a slowish Brisbane surface early in the season.
Elsewhere, Ashes-hopeful Brendan Doggett has been pulled from South Australia’s opener against Victoria in Adelaide with a minor hamstring niggle. The Redbacks expect him fit for round two on 15 October. Victoria, meanwhile, welcome Australia quick Scott Boland, whose metronomic accuracy should suit Karen Rolton Oval.
Khawaja’s recent Test numbers – highest score 47 in ten innings – do not leap off the page, yet his calm, methodical style remains valued against the Dukes ball. Whether he needs two or three Shield outings to feel ready is still undecided. Queensland coach Wade Seccombe hinted last week that form, rather than volume of cricket, would dictate when the opener down-tools before Perth.
Last summer ended awkwardly for Khawaja. A public back-and-forth with high-performance boss Joe Dawes over his hamstring flare-up saw both parties forced to cool tempers. The message out of Albion this time is clear: fewer headlines, more runs.
Queensland squad: Marnus Labuschagne (capt), Hugo Burdon, Jack Clayton, Benji Floros, Hayden Kerr, Usman Khawaja, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Gurinder Sandhu, Mitchell Swepson, Hugh Weibgen, Jack Wildermuth.
Doggett’s hamstring and Boland’s inclusion are early reminders that Ashes pecking orders can shift quickly. For now, though, all eyes are on Khawaja and Labuschagne – old allies with something very new to prove.
