Australia opener Usman Khawaja will miss his batting partner David Warner after the three-match Test series against Pakistan as the latter will bid adieu the red-ball cricket following the conclusion of the series.
Warner will play his final Test in the third match against Pakistan at his home ground Sydney Cricket Ground, commencing on January 3. Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw are in contention for Warner's replacement in the Australian Test side. All three are part of the Prime Minister's XI that is taking on Pakistan in a four-day match in Canberra before the first Test.
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In a clear message to selectors, Khawaja wants his next partner to be picked on class rather than the current form.
"To be honest, it (who my next opening partner is) doesn't really matter to me, genuinely. Whoever the selectors are going to pick, they're going to pick because they think they're the best for the role," Khawaja told on SEN Radio.
"I don't even believe in the 'bat-off' people are talking about right now. I think it is going to come to a lot more than that. You can't pick teams on form. You've got to pick teams on who you think the best player is. If we pick teams on form, the Australian team would be changing every second week, so you just can't do that.
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"Class is always permanent. Form is always temporary. It will be interesting to see which way they go. I actually don't know," he added.
Khawaja went on to back his statement by saying the sample size of five years should be considered to pick the player.
"I think it (making runs) does (play into it). But I think if you go a bit further back for the last five years, all of the guys that are in contention would have scored a truckload of runs. It would be very similar. It just depends on how big a sample size you want to make it."
Australia will take on Pakistan in the first Test in Perth on December 14.