Australia No Guarantee To Pick Usman Khawaja For Second Ashes Test Even If Injury-free

Australia coach Andrew McDonald has grounded to guarantee Usman Khawaja will beryllium selected for nan 2nd Ashes Test, moreover if nan under-pressure seasoned opener is fit, while Josh Hazlewood is expected to return “some part” successful nan bid contempt speculation hovering complete nan severity of nan prima quick’s hamstring injury.

Khawaja dealt pinch backmost spasms during nan bid opener successful Perth, batting astatine No 4 successful nan first innings, past wasn’t required successful nan stunning time 2 tally chase.

Stepping up successful Khawaja’s absence to unfastened pinch debutant Jake Weatherald connected Saturday, Travis Head pulled disconnected an all-time Ashes sound successful his first clip batting astatine nan apical successful a Test successful Australia. After Head’s blazing 123, calls instantly came for him to move from No 5 to unfastened regularly.

Khawaja will beryllium assessed further aft returning location to Brisbane to activity retired if he is moreover capable to play successful nan pink-ball Test astatine nan Gabba. When asked if nan 38-year-old would decidedly play, if he was fit, McDonald said connected Monday: “I’m not judge wherever he’s [Khawaja] at, medically.

“There was discussions astir further investigation to whether it was much superior than what we first anticipated. We get to campy successful six days clip [in Brisbane] truthful it’s a agelong measurement out, a batch of accusation to stitchery betwixt now and then. Hopefully he’s fresh and disposable for selection.”

Khawaja will move 39 successful December and is averaging 27.44 during nan past 2 years.

Not only did Khawaja make conscionable 2 runs erstwhile he yet batted connected time one, he dropped a regularisation drawback successful slips during England’s 2nd innings that would person dismissed vulnerable wicketkeeper Jamie Smith for a duck.

The 85-Test seasoned near nan section soon aft missing that chance and wasn’t spotted for nan remainder of nan match.

“That backmost tense took its toll successful nan first innings and sewage worse into time two, which is thing that’s beautiful common,” McDonald said. “It’s difficult erstwhile your backmost starts going into tense to get it nether control. Unfortunate for him, but it opened up nan opportunity for Heady to spell up location and do what he did, which was amazing.”

Khawaja leaves nan section connected time 2 successful Perth. Photograph: Dave Hunt/AAP

Star speedy Hazlewood appears nary chance to play astatine nan Gabba aft missing nan first Test pinch a hamstring injury. Australia haven’t provided an update connected Hazlewood for much than a week, but McDonald denied nan wounded would beryllium bad capable to sideline him for nan full series.

But skipper Pat Cummins is making a compelling lawsuit to return for nan 2nd Test, starting connected 4 December.Left-arm wizard Mitchell Starc starred pinch a 10-wicket haul successful Perth, Brendan Doggett grabbed 5 scalps connected debut, while Scott Boland starred successful nan 2nd innings aft struggling connected time one.

“If you were to unreserved astatine thing and suffer Patty, because you’re one-nil down, past makes nan bid a batch much difficult,” McDonald said. “One-nil up, if it had been one-nil down, past it would person been nan aforesaid conversation.”

Veteran spinner Nathan Lyon was required to vessel conscionable 2 overs successful Perth and could beryllium near retired of nan pink-ball Test, which person been traditionally dominated by gait bowling.

“If you looked astatine Australian pink-ball cricket successful wide terms, nan mediate sessions person been rather benign, and Nathan’s done a batch of activity there,” McDonald said. “To jump to nan conclusion that you would automatically presume that it’s conscionable going to beryllium different bowler-dominated game, we can’t make those assumptions.”