Usman Khawaja will return to the top of the order for Queensland in the opening three rounds of the Sheffield Shield, shifting from his usual No. 4 position. This move comes under the direction of new coach Johan Botha, who is aiming to stabilise Queensland's middle-order after a disappointing season last year.
Although Khawaja is Australia’s Test opener, he has been batting at No. 4 for Queensland in his last eight Shield matches since February 2022, after being promoted to open in the final Test of the 2021-22 Ashes series. Australia’s selectors have not mandated state teams to align players’ Shield positions with their Test roles, allowing Khawaja to bat lower down the order at the domestic level. In contrast, New South Wales coach Greg Shipperd has requested guidance from national selectors about where to place Test opener Steven Smith for the upcoming Shield season, given the ongoing debate about his batting role in the Test team for the India series.
Meanwhile, fast bowler Michael Neser is expected to be fit for the start of the domestic season after recovering from a calf injury, but Xavier Bartlett will miss the first month due to a side strain he picked up during the first T20I in Southampton. However, there is optimism that Bartlett may return in time for the Pakistan limited-overs series in early November.
Khawaja, who captained Queensland last season, chose to bat at No. 4 in four Shield matches and scored two centuries. However, both Khawaja and the newly appointed Queensland captain, Marnus Labuschagne, will only be available for the first three Shield games this summer before departing for the five-Test series against India. After that, Khawaja likely won’t return until the end of the Sri Lanka Test series in February, while Labuschagne may be out until the Champions Trophy ends in March.
Last season, Jack Clayton led Queensland’s Shield run-scoring and notched two centuries while batting at No. 4 in Khawaja’s absence. When Khawaja returned, Clayton moved to No. 5 and finished the season at No. 3. The 25-year-old left-hander is expected to settle at No. 4 this season, and coach Johan Botha praised Khawaja for helping to bring stability to Queensland’s middle order.
Botha commented on Khawaja’s decision, explaining that although Khawaja had performed well at No. 4 for Queensland, the veteran understood the need to provide younger players with consistency in positions 4, 5, and 6. Khawaja expressed his willingness to do what the team required, agreeing to open the batting to allow greater stability in the middle order once the Test players leave after the third game.
Khawaja's form is already impressive, having helped his club team, Valley, win the T20 Max title last week. He followed that by scoring 114 off 119 balls in Valley’s first 50-over match of the season against a South Brisbane side that featured Bulls pacer Gurinder Sandhu.
On the bowling front, Neser is recovering well from his calf issue, having bowled six overs in a recent practice match for Queensland and 10 overs for his club side, Gold Coast, last weekend. Botha believes Neser’s injury break came at a good time, allowing him to refresh after his stint with Hampshire, and hopes Neser can start the season strongly.
Concerns are growing over Australia’s fast-bowling depth ahead of the India series, with Neser’s injury adding to other issues. Scott Boland is managing a long-term knee problem, while Lance Morris is slowly recovering from a back stress fracture. Meanwhile, Bartlett’s side strain, coupled with injuries to white-ball quicks Nathan Ellis (hamstring) and Riley Meredith (side), has further depleted Australia’s pace stocks, while selectors carefully manage Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc ahead of the demanding India series.