Source - ABC

Khawaja has been called up to cover for Warner, whose wife Candice is due to give birth to their second child.

“

I'm just really happy to be selected."  "I'm not sure if I'll play yet or not but it's always nice to be picked and selected, to be rewarded in that way, so I'm excited to be a part of it.

”

Khawaja said.

Khawaja says he is desperate to make the most of his opportunity while Warner is unavailable. "I'm sure he'll be back sooner rather than later, so I'll keep a spot warm for him while he's away," he said.

Khawaja's most-recent innings of 62 from 42 balls for Sydney Thunder in their Big Bash League loss to Melbourne Renegades followed scores of 144 and 56 against West Indies in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG. He also hit 174 and 121 in the Test series against New Zealand. Even so, the left-handed opener will face fierce competition from Shaun Marsh for Warner's spot.

While in particularly good touch for the Thunder in the BBL, Khawaja believes it was his domestic one-day cup performances that has contributed most to his call-up.

"I think my Matador Cup form probably over the last two or three years helped me get this more so than what I've done in the T20 stuff in the last couple of games," he said. "I've been really happy with my white-ball cricket form over the last few years. We even got a Matador Cup victory a few years ago and I feel very comfortable in the format. I'm just happy to be amongst the boys."