Usman Khawaja’s farewell tour from hell took another twist on Tuesday when he was ruled out of the second Ashes Test due to his back injury.
Josh Inglis and Beau Webster are in the frame for a call up after Australlia ruled out Khawaja but opted against replacing him in the squad for the match in Brisbane, starting Thursday.
Khawaja batted for half an hour in the Gabba nets on Tuesday but appeared in discomfort, according to reporters witnessing the session.
He was injured on the opening day of the first Test – with blame cast on his decision to play golf the day before the game.
His back spasms in the first Test forced Marnus Labuschagne and then Travis Head to be deployed as makeshift openers in Perth.
“Khawaja will remain with the team to continue his rehabilitation,” Cricket Australia announced in a statement.
The injury decision saves the national selectors from having to make a tough call either way on Khawaja, who has been in an extended form slump.
In his past 18 Tests he has averaged 29.67 with one ton and just two half-centuries.
Webster is the likely replacement after a solid start to his Test career over the past 12 months although Inglis scored a century on debut in Sri Lanka in February and tonned up last week for a Cricket Australia XI against the England Lions in Perth.
The Tasmanian allrounder was unlucky to miss out in Perth for the Ashes series opener and his ability to bowl spin as well as seamers could mean the Aussies omit Nathan Lyon for the day-night clash at the Gabba.
Beau Webster. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images)
Australian fast bowler Scott Boland said he was unsure about how the XI would be reconfigured with Khawaja out.
“I’m not sure about the middle order, but I’d probably expect Trav to open given the make-up of our squad,” Boland told reporters.
“I’ve got no idea really what they’re going to do – bat someone at five or Greeny (Cameron Green) might go up one? Or pick someone else at six? We’ll find out probably tomorrow.
“The best thing about our team over the last few years is when someone has come out, either due to form or an injury, someone’s always stood up and done their job. I think Trav did that last week.
“We’ve got huge depth in our squad and we can replace anyone if we need to.
“Beau’s obviously done really well. He was a big part of the team when he was in it. He was making really good runs at six and bowling really important overs. He’s a gun catcher. Anytime that he’s in the team, that makes us a stronger team.”
Meanwhile, England rolled the dice by opting for a off-spinning all-rounder to replace injured Mark Wood.
Will Jacks returns to Test cricket for the first time in three years.
Wood managed just 11 overs in Perth and had already conceded he would not feature in every match of the five-Test series.
His absence strips Ben Stokes of his most explosive fast bowler but gives England more batting depth. With Brydon Carse potentially sliding as low as number ten despite averaging 22 in Tests, Stokes suddenly has a considerably shorter tail to work with.
Jacks has beaten specialist spinner Shoaib Bashir for the vacant spot after a clear signal from England’s training session on Tuesday where Jacks was heavily involved.
The 27-year-old last played Test cricket in Pakistan in 2022, where he burst onto the scene with six wickets in his debut innings.
He did not take another wicket across his next three innings but remains a dangerous lower-order striker with white-ball power.
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.