GABBA: Australia’s injury woes continue to pile up as top-order batter Usman Khawaja has been ruled out of the upcoming Gabba Test following a back injury. The veteran opener suffered from back issues which limited his participation in the opening Test of the Ashes in Perth.
The 38-year-old will remain with the side to continue his rehabilitation, and no replacement has been named in his place. This means Australia’s squad for the Gabba encounter is trimmed down to 13.
“Usman Khawaja has been ruled out of the Ashes Test match against England in Brisbane with a back injury. Khawaja will remain with the team to continue his rehabilitation. He has not been replaced in the squad,” Cricket Australia said in a statement.
In Khawaja’s absence, Australia might opt to open once again with Travis Head, who played a blinder in the fourth innings in Perth after being asked to kick start the proceedings alongside Jake Weatherald. Head put on a show at the top of the order and notched up a magnificent century that helped his side clinch an eight-wicket win on just the second day of the opening game. With the Aussies already on top in the series with a 1-0 lead, and both teams missing out on some key players, the upcoming game at Gabba looks evenly poised.
Australia are already without their skipper and ace pacer Pat Cummins, who continues his recovery from a back injury. Pacers Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott are also unavailable owing to injuries. Despite these concerns, Australia clinched a comfortable eight-wicket win in the opening Test of the summer, and will look to build on their advantage in Brisbane.
Jacks replaces injured Wood in England’s XI
Will Jacks has been named as a replacement for injured Mark Wood as England revealed their Playing XI for the Pink Ball Test.
“England have made one change to their XI from the first Ashes Test in Perth, with spinning all-rounder Will Jacks replacing the injured Mark Wood,” the England Cricket Board (ECB) said.
Wood, 35, who had only just returned to Test cricket in last week’s heavy defeat in Perth following surgery that kept him out for nine months. He managed just 11 overs before England slumped to a two-day loss, an outcome not seen in an Ashes match for more than a century.
The injury to Wood, who was ruled out because of a troublesome left knee, paved the way for Jacks’ return to the Test arena after a three-year absence. England gained extra batting depth through Jacks, whose off-spin offers a utility option rather than a full shift toward spin at a venue notoriously unforgiving to it under lights.
Jacks has so far featured in two Tests, both of them during the team’s tour of Pakistan in 2022. He has six wickets in the format to go with 89 runs. He claimed a maiden five-wicket haul on debut against Pakistan in 2022.
Teams:
England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer
Australia: Steve Smith (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster
Agencies