"Not a much bigger threat in world cricket at the moment" -  Australia batter praises teammate for handling Jasprit Bumrah in BGT 2024-25 series

Star Australia batter Steve Smith is unconcerned by Usman Khawaja's age as long as the opener plays well at the highest level. The 35-year-old particularly acknowledged that Khawaja was up against arguably the biggest challenge in cricket when he faced Jasprit Bumrah in the recent home series against India. Smith weighed in on how tough it had become to bat at the top Down Under.

Although Bumrah claimed Khawaja on six occasions during the five-Test series, the left-hander scored a crucial half-century in Melbourne and a vital 41 in the fourth innings in Sydney. The ace Indian speedster troubled the batters the most, claiming 32 wickets at 13.06, though in a losing cause, as the hosts won the series 3-1.

Speaking after Australia's massive win (innings and 242 runs) over Sri Lanka in the first Test in Galle, Smith observed that Khawaja was doing nothing wrong and could play for as long as he wished to. He said (as quoted by ICC):

"He’s still batting exceptionally well and age is only a number. He’s still doing everything right, he’s catching well in the slips, he’s a senior figure. He’s batting really well. I’m not a selector, but I’m sure as long as he wants to play, then I’m happy with him there for sure. Batting at the top of the order at the moment, particularly in Australia, is as hard as I’ve seen in my career."

"The amount of seam movement, and you throw into that he’s facing Jasprit Bumrah throughout the summer with a brand new ball, fresh every time. There’s probably not a much bigger threat in world cricket at the moment or almost ever," he added.

The reigning World Test Champions are likely to stick with Khawaja for their title defense in the WTC 2025 final against South Africa in June.

"He’s come with such a clear method" - Steve Smith on Usman Khawaja's contribution to Australia's massive win against Sri Lanka in Galle

Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja. (Credits: Getty)

With Khawaja playing a marathon knock of 232 against Sri Lanka in Galle, Smith observed that the southpaw was hard to contain when he was in rhythm in the sub-continent.

"He’s batting nicely, it’s just tough at the moment. Fortunately here the last few times he’s played on the sub-continent, he’s come with such a clear method, a really effective method and stuck to it for long periods. He’s tough to set a field to when he’s able to manipulate the field," Smith said in the same interview.

Khawaja's 232 allowed Australia to amass 654 and eventually win by an innings and 232 runs.