Usman Khawaja has revealed he has no plans to retire from test cricket but warned that a large-scale changing of the guard is approaching.
As Australia kicks off their home summer against the West Indies on Wednesday, they enter with a 13-man squad that boasts nine players over 30 and a side that no one has retired from within since Mitch Johnson in 2015.
These numbers mean a mass exodus could be incoming, and David Warner has already inclined that this next year of cricket may well be his swan song.
Australian head coach Andrew McDonald is acutely aware that players retiring at the same time is a problem, but Khawaja says there's little to be done about it and thinks the side may well face the same challenges it did when Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer all retired together at the start of 2007.
"There's definitely going to be a transition period, and I think you just have to accept that as an Australian international team," Khawaja said to the AAP.
"We're probably always deemed to repeat the mistakes of our past."
Khawaja himself has been in and out of the side since 2011 and has found some of his best form in recent times at the top of the order, and he thinks all their recent success is thanks to the struggles Australia faced transitioning 15 years ago.
"You have to accept in international cricket that's going to happen," Khawaja continued.
"We are always a bit harsh, we have such high expectations for Australian cricket. But we saw what happened 10-15 years ago.
"We're in a place now where we've played some really good cricket over the course of the last five, six or seven years in Test matches in particular.
"And that's more stemmed from that transition period."
On his own retirement front, Khawaja was far more dismissive, saying he'll wait until he knows it's time, and until then, nobody can tell him he's too old.
"Ian Chappell was telling me I'm only good against poor bowling, and not good bowling," he said.
"I've had people saying a lot of negative things my whole career but the same thing applies when people tell me I'm too old.
"We'll see about that. If I'm performing you can't tell me age has (anything) to do with it.
"When my time is up I feel like I'll know but I don't feel like it's any time soon."
They are fair statements from a man whose test career most thought was over when he was dropped in 2019.
Now the runs don't seem to be stopping and it's clear all Australians will be happy to see him around as long as possible.
