Usman Khawaja is honoured to be captaining Australia on his return to The Pattonair County Ground.
The batsman played for Derbyshire in the 2011 and 2012 seasons, earning promotion to the Specsavers County Championship Division One during the latter.
Now 32, Khawaja has appeared in 44 Test matches and has scored 2,887 runs at an average of 40.66 throughout his career.
Derbyshire will host the Australia side for the three-day Aston Lark Tourist Fixture, which begins tomorrow, as the visitors prepare for a crucial fourth Ashes Test at Emirates Old Trafford.
Khawaja is looking forward to playing in Derby again, and says that captaining Australia will make the occasion even more special for him.
“I was here for two years and we won Division Two in the second year, so I have a lot of a lot of nice memories with Derbyshire and it’s good to be back,” said Khawaja.
“Every time you play for Australia is an honour, and captaining the team is a bigger honour on top of that. I am just looking forward to getting out there and playing some cricket.
“The nets are good but they are never the same (as playing) bowlers will tell you that, batsmen will tell you that. It is always nice to get out in the middle and play some cricket, that’s the best form of practice and the best way to improve.”
Steve Smith is likely to feature for Australia after missing the Third Test due to injury. The batsman has scored 372 runs across three Ashes innings this series
Khawaja says that Smith is eager to play in Derby, as he aims to get time at the crease before the Fourth Test.
“He’s been on fire lately, he has been batting beautifully and we are looking forward to him getting back out there.
“Obviously, he had a pretty tough knock, but knowing Steve he will be pretty excited to get back out there too.”
This is the last chance to buy in advance and save on tickets for the Aston Lark Tourist Fixture against Australia at The Pattonair County Ground, starting tomorrow.
| In Advance | On the Gate | |
| Adults | £16 | £20 |
| Juniors (6-15) | £4 | £5 |
| Students | £10 | £10 |
| Family Ticket (two adults, two juniors) |
£36 | – |
The Aussies are coming! Derbyshire face Australia in the three-day Aston Lark Tourist Fixture from Thur 29 – Sat 31 August. Buy in advance to save and see world-class Test cricketers in Derby.
