After his blitzkrieg 123 against England, Travis Head may have batted himself into a permanent position as Australia’s opener, raising questions about the future of an aging Usman Khawaja.
Due to back spasms, the 38-year-old Khawaja was unable to open in either of the innings in Perth, which allowed Head to take full advantage with all guns blazing.
Australia won by 8 wickets thanks to his 123 from just 83 balls, which captain Steve Smith called one of the greatest knocks in Ashes history.
Since David Warner retired early last year, Australia has been looking for a new opener, and Khawaja has had six different partners.
Debutant Jake Weatherald was selected for Perth. However, he padded up with Marnus Labuschange in the first innings and Head, who was moved up from number five in the order, in the second, rather than walking out with Khawaja.
Weatherald did enough with a calm 23 alongside Head to earn another chance in the second Test in Brisbane, despite falling for a second-ball duck in the first innings.
It’s unclear what will happen to an out-of-form Khawaja going forward, as Smith remained unsure when asked if his days were running out.
“Let’s just digest this first I think, you know the last couple of hours has been pretty incredible,” he said after the game.
“It’s probably too early to say anything on that. He’s not moving particularly well in there, the old fella,” he added.
“Unfortunately he just pulled up a bit lame early on in the game, and that happens when your back goes. I’ve been there myself when your back seizes up, and it’s not a nice place to be.”
Although Cricket Australia manager Todd Greenberg emphasized that the back issue was pre-existing, Khawaja faced criticism for playing golf on the eve of the Test.
Head stated that opening for Australia at home had been “brewing for a bit” after performing the role on multiple international tours.
“Played a lot of cricket with Jake (for South Australia), so I was pretty keen to take some pressure off him. I just felt like the moment was right,” he said.
“I was pretty bullish around the fact that I felt like I could do it. I’m always putting my hand up.
“I’m not going really aggressive at it, but I put my hand up. If the team requires it, I’m more than happy to do it and keep the option there.”
