Perth, Nov 24 (IANS) Australia coach Andrew McDonald has confirmed Usman Khawaja will undergo medical assessment this week for the back issues which cropped up during the opening Ashes Test in Perth, but expressed optimism that the senior opener will be fit for the second game starting on December 4 in Brisbane.

Khawaja was unable to open in either innings and batted only once, while also missing considerable time on the field. As per McDonald, Australia’s medical staff are set to investigate further, as Khawaja has never previously experienced back spasms of this nature in his playing career.

“There was discussions around further investigation to whether it was more serious than what we sort of first anticipated. So we’ll work through that. We’ll get a squad together. We’ll step through everything that we normally step through. We get to camp in six days’ time. It’s a long way out, a lot of information to gather between now and then, and hopefully Usman is fit and available for selection.”

“I think anytime you spasm, it’s a result of something going on in your back. So I think that further investigation is just due diligence around that. You spasm for a reason. He hasn’t had it before, so that’s what will probably entail a bit more further investigation. My gut feel is that it should be okay, but as I said, we’ll wait for that information to present,” McDonald told reporters on Monday.

He also conceded the selectors have ‘a lot to consider’ following Travis Head’s explosive century as a stand‑in opener in the Perth Test. Head’s 123 off 83 balls in the second innings sealed a thrilling victory and has now sparked a debate over whether his role in the batting order be revisited.

“We’ve got a lot to consider. Batting orders are always debated heavily over a period of time. Middle order players haven’t been sort of the ones that have been the popular ones to open the batting. So we’ll discuss and work through what it looks like.”

“I think it gave us a little bit of a lens potentially to the future in terms of adjusting batting orders in second innings, which is something that we have discussed. To be able to put different people in different positions with the scenario that was presented.”

“So this one happened probably through a bit more chance and obviously the unfortunate injury to Usman. But I think it really probably opens up that discussion more than, more than anything else for us.”

“You do it in one-day cricket, you front end some of your innings, you know the back end is going to be difficult to chase down the runs. Then there’s other times in one-day cricket where it’s difficult up front, you back end your innings, and you put all your power at the back end. So can that transition and Test cricket? Are people ready for that?

“It’s a conversation that we have had. We’ve had a conversation around Travis opening the batting for a long period of time, and Trav has been on the record this week and previously around that also. I suppose now that it’s out there, yeah, happy to talk about it. Will we do it? If it presents at the right time, potentially,” he added.

–IANS

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