‘Michael Clarke has been the best player for the last seven years and I think we need his experience in the team’: Usman Khawaja © Getty Images
Chennai: Australia A captain Usman Khawaja believes Michael Clarke‘s men can win the next two Tests and clinch the five-match Ashes series and there is no need to “chop and change” the current team which went down by eight wicket to England in the third Test at Edgbaston. “I do not think one Test match loss makes a difference. We lost the first Test and won the second and lost the third. Cricket should not be that fickle. The guys have scored runs and you got to give some time to the guys,” Khawaja said. “Two more tests left and I think it would be more harmful than good when you change teams. I have been in a situation when the Australian team was making a lot of change in chopping during the last five years and it has been more harmful than good. READ: Australia A’s win over India A ‘huge’: Usman Khawaja
“You need some support from the coach and the selectors and have faith that this is the team we took and this is the team that did well. I still think that Australia play the way they did at Lord’s and can easily win the next two test matches. You do not need to chop and change,” he added. Australia skipper Clarke is going through a rough patch as he scored 10 and three at Edgbaston, which left him with a meagre series aggregate of 94 runs in six innings.
Asked if Clarke should be changed, Khawaja said: “Michael has been the best player for the last seven years and I think we need his experience in the team. “He is our captain too. I do not think you need to panic too much. Someone will pop up and score runs and everyone would be talking about him. As I said cricket can be a very fickle game at times,” he said. READ: Australia will give long rope to Michael Clarke, asserts Darren Lehmann
While Australia suffered a loss to allow England take a 2-1 lead in the Ashes series, Khawaja’s men defeated India A by ten wickets with opener Cameron Bancroft scoring 150 in the first innings. Asked if Bancroft is ready to be promoted to the national squad which is playing the Ashes, Khawaja said: “I do not know. It is the selectors call. Obviously Bancroft batted very well. There is two tests left in the Ashes series. I do not think the selectors want to go too far ahead of themselves.”