Former England captain Michael Vaughan believes there could be no better moment for Usman Khawaja to retire from international cricket.
Speculation continues to surround Khawaja’s future, and amid the uncertainty, Vaughan has advised the experienced Australian batter to consider retirement after the ongoing Ashes series, specifically following the Sydney Test.
The fifth and final Test of the Ashes will begin this Sunday, and Vaughan feels it would be the perfect occasion for Khawaja to bring down the curtain on his international career.
At present, Khawaja is only part of Australia’s Test setup. He last represented the national side in ODIs in 2019, while his most recent T20 international appearance came three years earlier. As a result, his white-ball international career is widely considered to be over, and now even his Test future appears uncertain.
Test cricket has been the format in which Khawaja has played the most matches and enjoyed his greatest success for Australia. However, many believe that even this chapter of his career is approaching its end. The 39-year-old has not been at his best in the longest format for quite some time and has struggled with consistency over the past two years.
In 2024, Khawaja scored 415 runs in nine Tests at an average of 25.93, without registering a single century and managing just two half-centuries. The year 2025 has not been particularly impressive either. He has scored 614 runs in 10 Tests at an average of 36.11, with one century and one fifty to his name.
Despite the dip in form, Australia have continued to back Khawaja due to a lack of suitable alternatives. He also began the current Ashes series as Australia’s first-choice opener, but circumstances quickly changed.
Due to back discomfort, Khawaja was unable to open in either innings of the first Test in Perth. Marnus Labuschagne, who opened alongside Jack Weatherald in the first innings, also failed to make an impact. As a result, Australia promoted Travis Head to open in the second innings during the run chase. Head seized the opportunity with a blistering century that powered Australia to a memorable victory, and since then he has continued to open alongside Weatherald.
Khawaja’s back issue ruled him out of the second Test in Brisbane, and although he later regained fitness, he was initially left out of the XI for the Adelaide Test as well. From that point, speculation about his future intensified.
A late injury to Steven Smith opened the door for Khawaja’s return, and he was slotted into the middle order, batting at number four. He played a crucial role with scores of 82 and 40 in the two innings, helping Australia retain the Ashes.
In the Melbourne Test, Khawaja batted at number five in both innings but failed to make a significant contribution, scoring 29 and a duck. It is expected that he will again feature as a middle-order batter in the Sydney Test.
Like many others, former Australia captain and World Cup winner Michael Clarke believes Khawaja could bring an end to his international career at the Sydney Test. However, Australia head coach Andrew McDonald has said the team has received no such indication from the player.
Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, Vaughan said Khawaja should not let others decide his future and should instead take control of his own destiny by retiring in front of his home crowd.
“I would say to Usman, ‘Don’t let them make the decision for you. Decide your own destiny.’ When someone has played for so long, they deserve the right to choose. Usman has had a brilliant career, and not many players get the chance to retire on their own terms, at home.”
Vaughan, who played 82 Tests and 86 ODIs for England, believes that if Khawaja does not retire now, he may never get the opportunity to announce his retirement on the field.
“And if he doesn’t do it, he runs the risk of not being able to finish on his own terms. There is nothing better than walking away from an Ashes series at your home ground. If Uzzie truly has the desire and energy to keep going, then so be it. But in my eyes, saying goodbye in Sydney during an Ashes series would be something special.”
