Ian Healy has a warning for Australia as they head to the West Indies: they need to sort out their top order. Usman Khawaja who has been a key run scorer in the ICC World Test Championship turns 39 in December and will be looking at the home Ashes series against England. The recent ICC WTC final against South Africa was tough for the Aussie batters. Khawaja went for ducks in both innings, while Marnus Labuschagne struggled with 17 runs from 22 balls. Cameron Green had a rough time 4 and then 0 when he returned to international cricket.
As Australia gets ready for the new WTC 2025-27 cycle with three Tests starting June 25 there are concerns about the batting lineup. Labuschagne hasn’t hit a century in 16 Tests and Khawaja’s age is a concern too. Healy said if Khawaja isn’t at his best it could be a tough farewell Ashes series. If you limp to the end of your career and your last series is the Ashes that could be a nightmare, he told SEN. He also warned that England’s bowlers are targeting the Aussie team.
They’re selecting bowlers who know how to play in Australia and they’re being very strategic with their choices, he said. If the Aussie players aren’t at their peak in terms of energy and technique they’re going to struggle. Healy said with the Ashes starting in late November the team hasn’t been able to fix the issues. We’re less than six months away from a big series we should be preparing for and the problems haven’t been fixed, he said. So do we fix them now or do we look for new players? That’s definitely something to think about.