Pile-on of “modern day great” Khawaja is out of line

Adam White has called for the pile-on Usman Khawaja to stop after it was confirmed the veteran had been ruled out of the second Ashes Test in Brisbane.

Amid ongoing issues with a back injury he suffered in Perth, the opener will continue his rehab with a view to returning in Adelaide later this month.

No player has taken his spot in the squad, meaning that Australia is now reduced to a 13-man squad for the Second Test which gets underway at the Gabba on Thursday.

Travis Head is now expected to open, with Beau Webster and Josh Inglis in the mix to join the XI after it was revealed Khawaja wouldn’t be replaced in the squad.

Khawaja is one of a handful of Australian players under a more intense spotlight in the build-up to the Ashes with his age the topic of much debate.

He will turn 39 later this month and while some have called for him to retire while others bemoan his selection, White has called for more respect to be shown to "a modern day great".

"I feel there is a pile-on with Uzzie at the moment," White said on SEN Mornings.

"So many people that want him out the team, that want him to retire, saying he’s too old, but they’re forgetting very quickly what a great player he has been for Australia.

"85 Tests, 6000 runs, Test average of 43.56 with 16 Test centuries. First-class numbers; 15,000 runs and 43 first-class hundreds.

"When you compare his numbers to some of Australia's great top order players, they stack up. Mark Taylor averaged 43, Justin Langer 45, Michael Slater 42 and David Boon 43."

At 38 years old, and given the form of Travis Head in the first Test, the injury casts doubt over the future of Usman Khawaja in the Test arena.

"For whatever reason, I believe he wouldn’t be playing any more if we had a realistic alternative but he has, not necessarily saved Australia, but he stayed there a long as an insurance policy because we have not had anyone better to knock him out of that spot," White continued.

"This time it feels like a celebration he has the injury, I think we have to remember what a great player he has been. He is a modern great. We should focus on the positives."

The Second Test will begin on December 4 with SEN having LIVE coverage of every ball bowled throughout the series on its radio network and on the SEN app.