FROM baggy green to electric green: that is Usman Khawaja's lot in life at the moment. Dropped from the Test side for the second time in his short career, the 25-year-old is facing the prospect of spending the next month with the Sydney Thunder in the Twenty20 Big Bash League, not in the thick of a marquee series against India.

An unbeaten 56 in the drawn tour match between the Chairman's XI and India in Canberra yesterday only reaffirmed Khawaja's status as the most unlucky man in Australian cricket. Oozing potential despite a lean second Test against New Zealand this month, he is more or less a victim of circumstance, as he was when he was squeezed out for the third Test of Australia's tour of Sri Lanka in September.

Test captain Michael Clarke spoke confidently yesterday about Khawaja and fellow evictee Phillip Hughes going back and fighting for recalls for NSW. However, thanks to the Big Bash League's dominance of the domestic calendar, the Blues don't play again in the Sheffield Shield until February 6 - more than a week after the series against India finishes in Adelaide.

Even John Dyson, the Thunder general manager and former NSW chairman of selectors, admits a flaw in the system as he welcomes Khawaja back for tomorrow night's match against Adelaide Strikers at ANZ Stadium with mixed feelings.

''I'm disappointed for him as a player. I know that Usman is desperate to be in the Australian Test team, so it's a disappointment that way,'' Dyson said. ''From Sydney Thunder's point of view, it's terrific for us. We just hope he plays well for us.

''I think scheduling is a problem for world cricket. I think they do the best that they can, schedule the number of matches that they need. But as long as you're scoring runs in any form of cricket, you can press your claims for selection.

''We've seen that with David Warner over the last 12 months. Runs in all forms of cricket helped his case.''

National selector John Inverarity was also intent on identifying some kind of silver lining in Khawaja's relegation. ''We see both Phillip Hughes and Usman Khawaja as developing players with bright futures and remaining as players of significance,'' he said.