NEW DELHI: Australia opener Usman Khawaja remains short of full match fitness with only three days left before the second Ashes Test, starting December 4 at the Gabba, though he is pushing hard to feature in what would be a home Ashes appearance.
Khawaja undertook his first proper test since injuring his back last week, with medical staff closely monitoring him during a fitness session on Monday afternoon, according to cricket.com.au.
The 37-year-old suffered back spasms during the Perth Test, forcing him off the field late in England’s first innings and preventing him from batting in Australia’s second innings.
At the Gabba on Monday, he completed light running drills before heading to the nets for a 30-minute batting stint with the pink ball. Khawaja appeared uncomfortable at times and faced only throwdowns from assistant coach Michael Di Venuto, largely practising pull shots on practice wickets.
Following the drills, which included 40-metre sprints and lateral movement tests, the medical team held discussions with coach Andrew McDonald and selector George Bailey.
Australia will now monitor how Khawaja pulls up from the session. The aim is for him to complete a full training workload on Tuesday, and again on Wednesday if needed, before a final call is made on his availability for the Gabba Test.
Khawaja has been Australia’s leading Test run-scorer since his recall four years ago and is the only batter in the squad to have played all three of the Gabba’s pink-ball Tests.
If he is ruled out or left out, Beau Webster and Josh Inglis, the reserve batters in the 14-man squad, are the primary contenders to replace him.
Meanwhile, skipper Pat Cummins ramped up his own return by bowling two sharp spells in the nets and also batting during sessions on Sunday evening and Monday afternoon. Cummins, who missed the Perth Test due to a back injury, is not part of the squad for the second Test, though a return for the third Test in Adelaide appears increasingly likely.
Labuschagne avoids Khawaja’s selection talks
Star batter Marnus Labuschagne avoided offering an opinion on whether Khawaja should be retained for this week’s pink-ball game at The Gabba.
“Usman’s a high-quality player. You look at his record… what he’s done for Australian cricket. Especially since he’s come back, he’s been super consistent; he’s been really the rock at the top there,” Labuschagne told reporters ahead of Australia’s training session on Monday.
“There’s been a lot of talk about how many opening partners he’s had over his time. But I’m not a selector and whatever happens is all up to people above my pay grade and what they think is the best way for us to win the game and win this series. It’s just game by game, and you work out what’s your best team and how it best works for the game,” he added.
Agencies