Prior to the Brisbane Test, Usman Khawaja‘s back condition will be further investigated, according to Australia’s head coach Andrew McDonald. The issue stems from Khawaja’s limited participation in the first Ashes match, as he batted just once and was unable to open in either innings. Before leaving the pitch during England’s second innings, he also missed a catch at slip.
After the first Ashes Test in Perth ended in just two days, Australia’s players and staff left for their home towns on Sunday, November 23. McDonald said that the medical team would examine the issue more closely after the seasoned campaigner’s back spasms became a major talking point.
“There were talks about doing more research to see if it was more serious than we initially thought. We’ll resolve it, then. We’ll assemble a team. We’ll go over everything we typically go through. In six days we’ll be at camp.
According to ESPNcricinfo, McDonald stated, “I hope Khawaja is healthy and available for selection, but it’s a long way off, and there’s a lot of information to gather between now and then.”
“I believe that any spasm you experience is caused by anything happening in your back. Therefore, I believe that more research is merely part of the due diligence process. There’s a reason why you spasm. Since he has never had it before, it will likely require a little more research. My instinct tells me that should be alright, but as I mentioned, we’ll hold off until that information is provided,” he continued.
McDonald was asked if a permanent change at the top of the order would be reconsidered in light of Head’s remarkable performance in the second innings, where he won the Test match with 123 off 83 balls.
“We have a lot to think about. Batting orders are always hotly contested over time. Traditionally, middle order players have not been the most favoured choice to open the batting. Therefore, we’ll talk about it and figure out how it looks,” Andrew McDonald added.
“We have talked about changing the batting orders in the second innings, and I believe it provided us with a small window into the future. must be able to use the given scenario to place several persons in various roles. This one most likely occurred due to a little more chance and Khawaja regrettable injury. However, I believe it opens up that conversation more than anything else for us,” he continued.
There is no history of Australia’s selectors altering their lineups after just one innings. After Steven Smith averaged 28 runs in eight Test innings as an opener, the experiment was dropped. Smith scored 91 not out in a failed fourth-innings chase in his fourth appearance as an opener.
Australia has been considering head opening in Test matches for a while.
Any decision to promote Head permanently to the top for Brisbane will also be greatly influenced by his performance in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide last year, where he made a match-winning century at No. 5 after being protected from batting under lights on the opening evening. Before mistiming a pull shot to mid-on, Head had appeared reliable in the 16th over of the first innings in Perth.
In the event that the second innings flattens out, we’ve kind of speculated about a middle order player moving up to the top order. Specifically, the wicket was going to degrade if we needed quick runs. Thus, we have occasionally included that in our strategy and planning,” Andrew McDonald stated.
“Travis has been on the record this week and in the past regarding opening the batting, and we’ve been talking about it for a long time. I guess I’m glad to discuss it now that it’s out there. Are we going to do it? “Perhaps, if it presents at the appropriate time,” he said.
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