Usman Khawaja
The battle for the opening slot was between two Australians, Shane Watson and Usman Khawaja. Although Watson has a better average than Khawaja in the tournament, as an opener in two innings, he averaged only 17 and the bulk of his runs came when he batted at No.6. Although he was very good with the ball, with the team already having plenty of bowling options already, only the batting has been considered.
As a result, with a lowest score of 21 in the tournament and for providing Australia with a decent start in each game, Khawaja takes the opener's slot. Although he only got one fifty and wasn't able to kick on after the powerplay, he performed his role in the side expertly.
Although openers have the best opportunity of scoring big, with a flurry of big-hitters in the middle-order, all Australia wanted from the southpaw was to get them off to a flyer and that was something he certainly managed to do.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
