Australia no guarantee to pick Usman Khawaja for second Ashes Test at Gabba
Usman Khawaja's Test future is in limbo due to injury and form at the top of the batting order. (AAP: Dave Hunt)
In short:
Usman Khawaja's place in the Australia Test team is in doubt after struggling with back issues during the opening match of the Ashes series.
Unable to open in the second innings, Travis Head stepped up and produced one of the great knocks to win the Test for Australia.
What's next?
The second Ashes Test will be a day-night match at the Gabba, beginning December 4.
Australia coach Andrew McDonald has failed to guarantee Usman Khawaja will be selected for the second Ashes Test, even if the under-pressure veteran opener is fit.
Khawaja dealt with back spasms during the series opener in Perth, batting at number four in the first innings, then was not required in the stunning day two run chase.
Stepping up in Khawaja's absence to open with debutant Jake Weatherald on Saturday, Travis Head pulled off an all-time Ashes knock in his first time batting at the top of the order in a Test in Australia.
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After Head's blazing 123, calls immediately came for him to move from number five to open regularly.
Josh Inglis has also thrust his name into the equation after cracking an unbeaten 125 off 107 balls as an opener to lead a Cricket Australia XI side to an eight-wicket victory over the England Lions in a four-day match at Lilac Hill.
Queensland opener Matt Renshaw continued his good form in the Sheffield Shield, scoring 112 against Victoria on Sunday at the Gabba in a pink-ball match.
Khawaja will be assessed further after returning home to Brisbane to work out if he is even able to play in the pink-ball Test at the Gabba.
"I'm not sure where he's at, medically," McDonald said when asked if Khawaja would play if fit.
"There was discussions around further investigation to whether it was more serious than what we first anticipated.
"We get to camp in six days time (in Brisbane) so it's a long way out, a lot of information to gather between now and then.
"Hopefully he's fit and available for selection."
Australian batsman Usman Khawaja has had a lean run of form in the past two years. (AAP: Dave Hunt)
Khawaja will turn 39 in December and has averaged 27.44 over the past two years.
Not only did Khawaja make just two runs when he eventually batted on day one, he dropped a regulation catch in slips during England's second innings that would have dismissed dangerous wicketkeeper Jamie Smith for a duck.
The 85-Test veteran left the field shortly after missing that chance and wasn't spotted for the rest of the match.
Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg was forced to defend Khawaja after he played golf in the three days leading into the series opener.
Khawaja did not have an injury going into the game, but the left-hander started having back spasms only hours into day one.
"That back spasm took its toll in the first innings and got worse into day two, which is something that's pretty common," McDonald said.
"It's difficult once your back starts going into spasm to get it under control.
"Unfortunate for him, but it opened up the opportunity for Heady to go up there and do what he did, which was amazing."
Head opens in white-ball cricket, and has done the job in Tests in Asia, but Australia have been reluctant to use him there at home.
The classic knock, being hailed as one of the greatest in Ashes history, has given selectors plenty to think about.
Khawaja has gone through six different opening partners since David Warner retired from Test cricket in January 2024.
As for star quick Josh Hazlewood, he appears no chance to play at the Gabba after missing the first Test with a hamstring injury.
Australia has not provided an update on Hazlewood for more than a week, but McDonald denied the injury would be bad enough to sideline him for the whole series.
But captain Pat Cummins is making a compelling case to return for the second Test, starting on December 4.
Left-arm wizard Mitchell Starc starred with a 10-wicket haul in Perth, Brendan Doggett grabbed five scalps on debut, while Scott Boland bagged four in the second innings after struggling on day one.
"If you were to rush at something and lose Patty, because you're one-nil down, then it makes the series a lot more difficult,"McDonald said.
"One-nil up, if it had been one-nil down, then it would have been the same conversation."
Veteran spinner Nathan Lyon was required to bowl just two overs in Perth and could be left out of the pink-ball Test, which have been traditionally dominated by pace bowling.
"If you looked at Australian pink-ball cricket in general terms, the middle sessions have been quite benign, and Nathan's done a lot of work there," McDonald said.
"To jump to the conclusion that you would automatically assume that it's just going to be another bowler-dominated game, we can't make those assumptions."
AAP