Test squad returnee Usman Khawaja said it was tough to avoid both mental and physical fatigure during “a truckload” of cricket in 2019.
Khawaja was yesterday recalled to Australia’s Test squad for the first time since he was dumped after three Tests during the 2019 Ashes tour.
He said it had only got trickier for cricketers to stay on top of their game since bubble life was introduced to keep the sport alive during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It can be hard when you’re travelling a lot,” he said on 4BC’s WWOS Radio.
“I think when you’re in that bubble, some things can creep in – whether it’s technical or mindset-wise, you just need a bit of time away from it to sort of recalibrate and go again.”
Since last donning the baggy green, the 34-year-old has enjoyed a fruitful time in the Sheffield Shield.
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“There was some things that I definitely worked on, and they worked out pretty well last year so then I just focused on those ones again – I didn’t try to re-invent the wheel or anything and it’s working well this season too,” he said.
“It’s always nice to score runs. I performed pretty well last season too and we won a Shield which was the icing on the cake.”
Khawaja was among the 15 men selected in the preliminary Ashes squad yesterday.
“I wasn’t really having these massive ambitions like ‘I’m going to play for Australia’, I was just trying to do as well as I could for Queensland, and even trying to do well for my grade side at the start of the year,” Khawaja said.
“It’s nice, I’ve been scoring a few runs and I guess the timing helps as well, too.”
The Bulls standout said it was “no secret” that it was likely a straight shootout between he and Travis Head for a vacant spot in the Australian middle order.
“I assume that’s where its at, but I’m not really thinking about it too much,” he said.
“I’ll do whatever I can, whatever I need to for Queensland this week, I’ll focus on that. It’s an important game, I want to win it.
“The rest of it, it’s out of my control. I’m quite humbled and grateful to be a part of the squad and whatever happens from here will happen.”
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There will be an intrasquad game involving fringe players from December 1 to 3, before the first Test starts at the Gabba on December 8.
“Ashes summers are huge, you can’t replicate an Ashes summer,” Khawaja said.
“The whole of Australia gets behind the team – there’s something about beating the old enemy. There’s people coming up on the street saying ‘good luck’, everyone just seems to get involved.
“It definitely is the pinnacle of Australian sport when it comes to tradition and legacy so it’s a very exciting time.”