Khawaja has been selected for Australia’s tour of the United Arab Emirates to play Pakistan. It is Australia’s first Test assignment since the tour of South Africa earlier this year, which was marred by the ball-tampering controversy that resulted in David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft being banned.

In the absence of the big names, Australia will depend a lot on Khawaja, but while the 31-year-old left-hander averages 59.38 in 18 Tests in Australia, his career average is of 42 from 33 Tests, and that’s due in large measure to his average of 14.62 in five Tests in Asia.

Khawaja was in India recently with the Australia A side. He didn’t bring the house down, but a century – 101* – in a 50-over game against India B and then 127 and 40 in a ‘Test’ against India A were good performances all right.

He was left out of the XI for the second ‘Test’, though, and Ponting says he found that strange: “I was even a bit surprised that they didn’t play him in this last game in India. He was over there in India, he’d done well and then they don’t play him.

“He’s a class player, no doubt about that. The more secure he can probably feel in his own mind, we’ll see him get better and better.”

Australia will play a two-Test series in the UAE – the first game starts October 7 in Dubai, followed by the second one in Abu Dhabi from October 16.