Australia coach Justin Langer on Wednesday said that batsman Usman Khawaja is ready to play in the first Test against India despite his brother’s arrest on Tuesday.
Arsalan Khawaja, 39, is accused of trying to set up his former university colleague Mohamed Kamer Nizamdeen, by convincing police that the 26-year-old was part of a plot to kill then Australia Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull.
Nizamdeen was arrested in August after a purported terror hit list was found in his notebook. He was released only weeks later, when police figured out the script did not match his handwriting.
Usman was named in Australia’s XI for the Adelaide Test after he asked the media to “please respect my privacy and my family’s privacy”.
Langer told and Australian radio station on Wednesday that the players have rallied around the batsman.
“We look after each other as well as we can,” Langer told radio station SEN, as quoted by news.com.au. “One of our values is our mates.
“We’re keeping an eye on Uzzy. It was obviously a little bit of a shock for him yesterday.
“He’s got great family support, great support around him. I know his wife’s here with him and we’ll look after him.
“I’ve heard a lot of cricketers say that their actual sanctuary is out in the middle playing cricket, so while there’s a lot going on in his personal life, we’re all around him to support him.
“He’s a terrific player and usually as cool as a cucumber. I’m sure there’s a few things going on in his mind and his heart, on the outside he’ll be as cool and calm as usual.”
Australia sprang a surprise by axing all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, while India opted for six batsmen in the 12-member squad for the first Test in Adelaide starting Thursday.
With inputs from AFP
