KARACHI: Australia head coach Andrew McDonald on Tuesday hinted that veteran left-arm opener Usman Khawaja could be included in the middle order for the third Ashes Test against England.
Khawaja, who missed the Brisbane Test due to a back spasm, has regained fitness and is set to play in the next match in Adelaide from December 17-21.
The 38-year-old’s return to fitness could create an intriguing conversation about Australia’s batting line-up, as the trial run of opening with Travis Head and Jake Weatherold has so far been successful for the hosts.
Opening pair Head and Weatherold shared two 70-over partnerships in the first two Tests and took the games away from England.
“It worked this time. The pink-ball Test at the Gabba, we felt that combination was right for those conditions and the opposition,” McDonald said of Australia’s current opening pair.
“As we go, we ask ourselves what is the test schedule. In our strategy meetings, we constantly ask questions about what is the best order at that time. We take this test on this test,” he added.
McDonald dismissed the notion that Khawaja could only open and favored him for having flexibility, giving a subtle hint that the left-handed batsman could be slotted somewhere in the middle order.
“The assumption is that Ussy can only open. So I think he has the flexibility. And we like to think that all of our batters have the flexibility to operate anywhere in that order,” MacDonald continued.
“So we’ve got a collective kind of group of batters, and as a series wears on, the opposition can create some different challenges for us. We’re open to what that looks like for us going forward.”