Australia have been left sweating over the fitness of senior opener Usman Khawaja ahead of the second Ashes Test at the Gabba, as the 38-year-old continues to battle back spasms suffered during the Perth Test last week.
Khawaja underwent a light but closely monitored net session on Monday, marking his first hit since he was unable to bat in the fourth innings of the series opener. He completed several running drills on the outfield before facing throwdowns from assistant coach Michael Di Venuto against the pink ball.
Despite playing some crisp strokes — including pull shots on uneven practice wickets — Khawaja was seen grimacing multiple times, particularly after attempting more expansive shots. Team doctor Leigh Golding even appeared to signal for the session to end, but Khawaja continued batting for another 10 minutes, a sign of his determination to feature in what could be his final home Ashes Test.
Medical staff also held discussions with coach Andrew McDonald and selector George Bailey following the session, with both fitness and movement patterns taken into account.
Australia are in no rush to make a decision. Khawaja will need to recover well overnight and train strongly again on Tuesday — and possibly Wednesday — before the management clears him for the Gabba Test.
While he has shown improvement, Khawaja’s participation remains uncertain, and Australia will continue to evaluate him over the next 48 hours.
This is a developing story, and more updates are expected as the team completes its main training sessions.
