Khawaja has remained tight-lipped about his Test future, but it now seems increasingly likely that this week’s New Year’s Ashes clash in Sydney will be his final appearance for Australia.
Vaughan said that Khawaja, who has struggled for form in recent Tests, deserves to shape his own destiny but cautioned about the ‘risk’ if he does not make the decision himself.
“There comes a point where you can’t let other people decide your destiny. I would say to Usman, ‘Don’t let them decide. You decide your destiny. When
someone has played for as long as he has, you’ve got to let the player make that call,” Vaughan said while speaking on Kayo Sports.
“If he does not do that, he runs the risk of his career ending not on his own terms. I cannot think of a better way to say goodbye than at his home ground in an Ashes series,” Vaughan added.
Khawaja has shifted to the middle order to make room for Travis Head and Jake Weatherald at the top, with the latter managing scores of 18, 1, 10 and 5 across his last two Tests.
Vaughan expects Australia to persist with Weatherald in Sydney but has expressed concern over a technical flaw in his game.
“At times, he has looked OK. That head position outside off stump is going to be a real problem for him. He cannot keep falling over to those straight balls. He will need some decent runs in Sydney, I am sure, to carry on his dream of playing for Australia for a long period of time,” Vaughan said.
