Usman Khawaja's inclusion in the Boxing Day Test will be decided by which burns more - his desire or his hamstring.
The Australian top order batsman will receive a searching test of his injured hamstring on Sunday when he makes his return for the Sydney Thunder.
After sitting out the last two Tests, Khawaja, who has known more than his share of frustration and bad luck during his career, is desperate to work his way back into the Australian XI.
After years of floating in the selection wilderness and having his 2014-15 season ruined by a knee injury, the 29-year-old had finally cemented his spot in the side.
Back-to-back centuries against New Zealand announced he had arrived and was ready to be a permanent fixture in the baggy green, only to suffer a hamstring tear during the Perth Test.
He had hoped to play in Thursday's Big Bash Opener against the Sydney Sixers but was held back for fear of a recurrence of the injury.
He will be selected for next week's Boxing Day Test should he get through Sunday's clash with the Melbourne Stars and while bullish about proving his fitness, he can't make any guarantees.
"If there's one thing that gets real sore after a T20 game, it's my hamstring," Khawaja said.
"It's going to be a test and I'm not going to go out there and nurse it in any way because I want to test it. I don't want to go into the Boxing Day Test match not having that confidence.
"I want to go out pretty hard."
In Khawaja's absence, Shaun Marsh made the most of his opportunity with 182 in Hobart, making him hard to displace with opener Joe Burns on the chopping block after quiet performances in the last two Tests.
Khawaja was excellent in the opening two Tests of the summer against New Zealand, batting at No.3 but said he would be happy slotting into any position in the top order.
He said he was confident of his hamstring standing up and being ready for Boxing Day but would know more after Sunday's hit out.
"If I had any doubts, I wouldn't go in but that's not to say I'm not under risk," Khawaja said.
"There's always a risk coming back from (hamstring) tears.
"I've done everything I possibly can to get back to this point. I'm confident but I can't predict the future."
Share
