Khawaja’s Final Word - SCG Ashes Test Preview

Menners reacts in depth to Usman Khawaja’s extraordinary 50-minute retirement press conference at the SCG, unpacking his reflections on race, criticism, selection, and his two-act Test career. He examines Steve Smith’s comments on Khawaja’s development, previews a potentially volatile Sydney Test amid weather and selection uncertainty, and breaks down Australia’s newly announced T20 World Cup squad — weighing experience versus renewal. The episode closes with reflections on Brett Lee’s Hall of Fame induction, key Test cricket stats from 2025, and what a fitting Ashes finish at the SCG should look like. (1:05) Usman Khawaja announces retirement: context, timing, and why the SCG mattered (8:31) Khawaja on criticism, race, and the Perth backlash — Menners’ response (18:16) SCG Test preview: pitch, weather, and Australia’s selection dilemmas (22:21) Australia’s T20 World Cup squad analysed: bolters, omissions, and balance Cricket Unfiltered Merchandise is Here! We’ve launched our official Cricket Unfiltered merch store thanks to a brilliant partnership with Exactamundo, a longtime supporter of the show. 🛒 Shop now:https://www.chickensaltoftheearth.com/shop/category/Cricket-Unfiltered?c=5469591 🎁 Use Promo Code: CU10 for 10% off your first order! From caps to tees, rep your love of cricket with some top-quality gear. Exactamundo is a video, animation, design and content production company. They produce digital signage, on-screen graphics, sideline animations and videos for sports teams like the Central Coast Mariners in the A-League, Manly Sea Eagles in the NRL and numerous American NBA, NFL and MLB teams.  They also create high quality videos and animations for the corporate world, such as product promos and explainer videos. Check them out at exactamundo.com.au Get the inserted AD’s FREE VERSION of the show on our Patreon Page Subscribe to our YouTube page for live streams: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk7koDKpKxe0e3yC7NXQx6Q Linktree for listening on podcast apps and finding us on social media: https://linktr.ee/cricketunfiltered Show twitter: https://twitter.com/auscricketpod Menners on twitter:  https://twitter.com/amenners TIKTOK: @cricketunfiltered Sponsorship enquiries for host read ads: [email protected] Email the show your cricket takes: [email protected] Piccolo Podcasts: https://piccolopodcasts.com.au/ Founder Andrew Menczel. The first episode aired August 2013.  It is a multi award-winning podcast team, the show has featured 15 Australian captains and some of the greatest legends of cricket and an episode is archived in the Australian National Film and Sound Archive. Menners is an accredited cricket journalist and commentator and his interview with Alex Blackwell won a Cricket NSW Media Award. The show was the first ever regular weekly Australian cricket podcast.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices