Veteran opener ruled out of day-night Ashes Test in Brisbane with back injury with Aussies again pondering opening combination options
Usman Khawaja’s international future is up in the air after the opener was ruled out of the second NRMA Insurance Test against England due to the back injury he suffered in Perth almost two weeks ago.
Josh Inglis and Beau Webster are both in the mix to return to Australia’s XI after the Aussies ruled out Khawaja but did not replace him in the squad.
Khawaja, who turns 39 later this month, had a 30-minute hit in the Gabba practice nets on Tuesday. The left-hander appeared in discomfort at times and has not recovered well enough to be available for selection for the match beginning Thursday.
Australia squad: Steve Smith (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster
It means Australia could field yet another new opener in this Ashes series after Khawaja’s back spasms in the first Test forced Marnus Labuschagne and then Travis Head to be deployed as makeshift options.
Head indicated this week he would be happy to take on the new ball again after his match-winning fourth-innings century flummoxed England, though that could expose Australia’s most impactful middle-order batter to more difficult batting situations in this upcoming pink-ball encounter.
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Coach Andrew McDonald has suggested his side could take a hybrid approach to their batting order with positions changing depending on the prevailing conditions.
It means the hosts could get creative with Khawaja’s replacement.
Inglis hit a rapid ton against the England Lions in a tour match opening for the Cricket Australia XI last week. If included in Brisbane, he could potentially take on the new ball when the Aussies want to protect Head.
Webster has also batted in the top order for Tasmania but won his Test spot off his middle-order batting and handy seam bowling, which translated well to international level before being an unlucky omission in Perth.
Australia instead recalled Marnus Labuschagne at three, with Cameron Green reverting to number six.
Webster debuted in the Test team last summer against India after consistently strong form in the Sheffield Shield, and has barely put a foot wrong in the Baggy Green, averaging 34.63 with the bat and 23.25 with the ball after seven matches.
Inglis made a century on Test debut earlier this year. The right-hander is Australia’s limited-overs keeper but has played in the Test side in Sri Lanka and the Caribbean alongside Alex Carey as a specialist batter having made his name as an attacking middle-order man in the mould of Head.
2025-26 NRMA Insurance Men’s Ashes
First Test: Australia won by eight wickets
Second Test: December 4-8, The Gabba, Brisbane (D/N), 3pm AEDT
Third Test: December 17-21: Adelaide Oval, 10:30am AEDT
Fourth Test: December 26-30: MCG, Melbourne, 10:30am AEDT
Fifth Test: January 4-8: SCG, Sydney, 10:30am AEDT
Australia squad (second Test only): Steve Smith (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster
England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Harry Brook (vc), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue, Mark Wood
