Former Australia captain Michael Clarke believes that the upcoming fifth and final Ashes Test will be Usman Khawaja's farewell game in international cricket. The left-handed batter has been playing in the middle order over the course of the last two Tests in Adelaide and Melbourne, and anticipation is high regarding the future of the veteran batter in the longest format of the game. Clarke believes that Khawaja should bid adieu to international cricket after the conclusion of the Sydney Test against England.
In 2025, Khawaja endured a horrid time with the bat, scoring 614 runs in 10 Tests at an average of 36.11 with a hundred and a fifty to his name. He started the year on a high by playing a 232-run knock in January against Sri Lanka. However, he had to wait 11 months for his next half-century, which came against England in the Adelaide Test.
"I think this will be Usman’s farewell Test match. I don’t think it’s a token selection; they obviously picked him for Melbourne, so if they’ve gone that way, you pick him for Sydney as well," Clarke told Code Sports.
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“But I think he’ll retire after this Test match. Australia will win the series. Hopefully, he goes out with a big score. I’d love to see Uz make a hundred at the SCG and walk away on a high because not many people get that opportunity," he added.
{{/usCountry}}“But I think he’ll retire after this Test match. Australia will win the series. Hopefully, he goes out with a big score. I’d love to see Uz make a hundred at the SCG and walk away on a high because not many people get that opportunity," he added.
{{/usCountry}}Khawaja played the Ashes opener against England in Perth; however, he got injured midway, leading to Travis Head opening the batting and scoring a match-winning knock to give Australia a 1-0 lead. Khawaja then missed the second Test, and he was all set to miss the next game in Adelaide; however, a last-minute injury to Steve Smith paved the way for Khawaja to play in the middle order.
McDonald backs Khawaja
Australia coach Andrew McDonald, however, dismissed Khawaja's retirement rumours, saying the left-handed batter has given no indication of retiring from the game.
“The speculation has been from the external. He's with his family at the moment, having a couple of days off. We'll build into Sydney, and we're always having conversations about where players are at and speaking directly with players,” said McDonald.
“And there's no indication at my end that he's calling it in Sydney,” he added.
The final Test of the Ashes series will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground, beginning January 4, 2026.