Usman Khawaja said it would be “tough” if Australia’s declaration in his third game against South Africa denies him a chance to win his first double century in Tests.
His entire third day of play was washed away by rain on Friday in Sydney in a one-sided series final test in favor of the organisers.
Australian skipper Pat Cummins was set to make a decision ahead of his fourth day on Saturday.
He declared the team’s first innings 475-4, scoring the batting for Proteas or giving Khawaja a chance to score his game-changing second century.
Khawaja is stuck at 195. Matt Renshaw, who tested positive for Covid early in the game, isn’t five out.
“If he (Cummins) bowled right away, I think it would be pretty tough. I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Khawaja said after another frustrating day of rain at the Sydney Cricket Ground. told reporters.
“He made some jokes… (said) ‘I told [South African skipper] Dean Elgar that I wanted to go out and eat a bowl right now. “We could have gotten out there and done a few more very quickly or explained almost immediately. I’m not the captain… I don’t make those decisions.” said the hitter.
Another key factor for Cummins is the condition of his SCG pitch after three days of rain chaos.
Frequent rain and wicket cover helped keep the pitch dry and prevent deterioration from wear, benefiting two selected Australian spinners, Nathan Lyon and Ashton Agar. Australia went into the match with just two selected pacesetters, Josh Hazlewood and Cummins.
Australia is pushing through a series of whitewashes to secure a spot to the Test World Cup final in London in June.
“Time is the enemy. The odds of that happening are very slim. Let’s face it, it’s possible,” Khawaja said.
South Africa are of course not too worried about the weather as they are trying to avoid the disgrace of a 3-0 draw. The weather forecast calls for better weather on Saturday and less rain before clear skies on Sunday.
Australia lead 2–0 in the series with a six-wicket victory in his two-day opening his Test in Brisbane, and then defeating the Proteas in Melbourne by an innings and 182 carries.