Australian captain Pat Cummins has confirmed that Usman Khawaja is unlikely to take the field for Australia after suffering a serious back injury. He has also claimed the usefulness of Usman Khawaja in the Australian middle order.
The Ashes started yesterday, and no one imagined that it would end by the final session on the second day, but thanks to the bowlers of both teams and Travis Head, it ended so quickly.
Mitchell Starc performed brilliantly in the first innings, taking 7 wickets against the English batting order and then Joffra Archer and Ben Stokes attacked the Australian batsmen. But it all didn’t go too well as Travis Head single-handedly snatched the match from the British hands.
Usman Khawaja got injured during Perth Test, Pat Cummins gave information
Usman Khawaja was reportedly injured, as a result of which he did not open the innings for Australia during the first innings. The Australian batsmen collapsed and were all out for only 132 runs in that innings, while England took a lead of 40 runs.
While fielding in the second innings, Usman Khawaja tried to jump over his head and in that attempt again injured his back due to the same strain that had injured him earlier. Captain Pat Cummins officially confirmed this.
Pat Cummins on Fox Cricket said, “Unfortunately, Uzi (Khawaja) is not going very well. His back flared up again in the slips, which made the jump go over his head, so he was unable to open.”
“Hopefully Uzi can still play a role in the middle order at some point.”
The hope for the Australian team is that Khawaja’s back is not that bad and he is likely to return for the next Test as Pat Cummins claimed that he can play a role in the middle order despite not being able to open the innings.
Should CA selectors consider dropping him from the Australian team?
Anyway, Cricket Australia’s selectors were blamed for choosing a team which did not include a single player under the age of 30 except Cameron Green.
The biggest highlight of this disappointment was the selection of 39-year-old Usman Khawaja. Cricket analysts, unlike Cricket Australia selectors and chief selector George Bailey, did not believe that Khawaja had any more cricket left in him, and this was not only due to advancing age, but also due to the lack of runs in recent years.
Australia gets huge boost from Perth’s lead before Brisbane match
With many burdens already on their heads, Australians needed something to enjoy their journey to the city of Brisbane. The Gabba Test will be the second Test of the series and despite the big gap between the games, Australia can never be complacent.
This is because the Australian team will be missing their premium fast bowler Josh Hazlewood and will likely also miss their captain, who has not yet confirmed his recovery or return date.
Nevertheless, going into the game, they would lead the series with a 1-0 lead. In one of the shortest Ashes matches in the history of cricket, Australia defeated England inside the second day of the first Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
Ricky Ponting said after Travis Head’s brilliant century, “The bat and the helmet are raised for this magnificent crowd as they witness one of the all-time great performances in Test cricket history.”
Also read: “One of the best Ashes innings” – Twitter reacts to Travis Head’s brilliant century to power Australia to Perth Test win
