Usman Khawaja’s Test career could be over, after Australia left the veteran opener out for Adelaide and kept Travis Head at the top alongside Jake Weatherald.
Just two days short of his 39th birthday, Khawaja was a notable omission from Australia’s XI for the third Ashes Test when Pat Cummins confirmed it on Tuesday morning.
Cummins and Nathan Lyon will return to the bowling attack at the expense of Brendan Doggett and Michael Neser, while the top seven is unchanged.
That means Josh Inglis will remain in the side at No.7, while Khawaja is not included after missing the Brisbane Test through back spasms.
Australia can secure a series win at Adelaide Oval this week, and will celebrate the quickest retention of the urn in more than a century if they win inside four days.
But for Khawaja, there are now serious question marks over his future.
The 38-year-old has enjoyed one of the great late-career resurgences since his recall to the Test team at the start of 2022, starring at the top of the order.
He averaged 58.7 in his first two years back in the side, but has now passed 50 just twice in his past 27 Test innings.
Khawaja batted in Australia’s optional net session on Tuesday, but did not face a new ball in a possible sign that any potential return may be more likely in the middle order.
It came after Australia’s coach Andrew McDonald insisted that it would be premature to write Khawaja off, regardless of whether he played in this Test.
“He’s had one back injury in his whole career, so I think that’s an overreaction to correlate that to the age of the athlete,” McDonald told SEN on Tuesday morning.
“His (Sheffield) Shield numbers are incredibly good comparative to everyone else. I think he has the leading Shield average for the past three or four years.
“Every time he drops back to that level he dominates, now if that’s a determiner of who is the next best or who is next in line then he is at the top of the pecking order.
“It feels as though people want to hear an end date from him or us. But we’re not that team, we’re not going to put end dates on people.”
Meanwhile, Steve Smith was the first in the nets to bat on Tuesday, after missing Monday’s session due to illness.
Smith, who captained Australia in the first two Test victories due to Cummins’ absence, is not considered in any doubt to play.
AUSTRALIA’S XI FOR THIRD ASHES TEST
Jake Weatherald, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (capt), Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon Scott Boland.
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