Khawaja working hard at 'mental capacity' to secure Ashes batting spot

Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has said that he has been working hard at his mental capacity out in the middle order to overcome the inconsistency plaguing Australia's batting line-up and secure a spot for the first Ashes Test.

With plenty of uncertainty still surrounding the order and strength of the batting heading into Trent Bridge on July 10, the Australia A team suffered a worrying collapse in their match against Gloucestershire on Saturday, all out for 111 in the second innings to leave the three-day game in the balance, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Khawaja said that he agreed with comments from vice-captain Brad Haddin that although younger players today are comparatively better than previous generations, that talent got only as far as Test cricket, adding that a player scores runs by being in the middle and having the mental capacity to keep churning out runs game after game.

Khawaja further said that such attitude comes with experience and a bit of aptitude.

Although Khawaja has scored just one half century in three matches for Australia A, he is confident that he has been striking the ball well leading into the official opening match of the Ashes tour against Somerset starting on Wednesday.

However, the batsman is desperate to make the leap from reserve batsman to a first-choice man in the top order after failing to get a game in the recent four-Test tour to India, adding that he has been made more 'hungry' by his standing down for a match over the 'home work' punishment in India.