England
Usman Khawaja and Travis Head have been named in a 15-man Australia squad for the first two Tests of the upcoming Ashes series, after selectors left the door open to both players to make the final cut for next month’s opener against England.
The pair are now likely fight it out in a practice match in Brisbane between Australia and an A team, starting on 1 December, to win the No 5 spot vacated by Matthew Wade in Tim Paine’s side.
Khawaja’s last Test appearance for Australia came during the 2019 Ashes series but his scintillating start to this year’s Shield – he tops the run charts after hitting back-to-back centuries, including a 174 against South Australia last month – prompted his return to the fold.
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“Usman Khawaja has been in great touch. He brings a calm, consistent and experienced component to the batting line-up and is a proven run-scorer at Test level,” chairman of selectors George Bailey said. “He also has the ability to bat across a range of positions in the batting order.
Khawaja said he was excited after getting the phone call from Bailey on Tuesday morning, but he tempered that with a touch of realism.
“Playing for Australia is always an honour and being selected in the 15-man squad is obviously an honour too,” he said. “I’m excited but it’s still business as usual – we’re still in the middle of the season – so you can’t get too far ahead of yourself.
“There’s an opportunity in the middle order there and that’s probably where it’s at. Whether I play or not will just depend on the selectors.”
Head also started the domestic season in good nick, but has fallen away slightly in recent outings, scoring just one half-century in his last six innings.
“Travis finished last summer strongly, second only to Cameron Green for runs scored, and has again started the season well,” Bailey said. “He drives the game forward and can put the opposition under pressure with his ability to score quickly.”
