Aussies can’t recall Khawaja despite McDonald leaving door ajar

Australia coach Andrew McDonald has left the door open for Usman Khawaja to return for the third Test in Adelaide.

Khawaja missed the Brisbane Test with a back injury as Travis Head and Jake Weatherald continued to open.

With Head and Weatherald putting together partnerships of 75, 77 and 37 (while chasing 65) from just three attempts, many have called for the Aussies to remain with their current set-up, meaning Khawaja’s Test career could be finished.

Even though Khawaja has opened for the Aussies across the last four years, becoming a stalwart in that position, McDonald says they’ll also consider the veteran as a middle-order option looking ahead to the third Test up 2-0.

"We've got a lot of players that are really invested in this series, and they'll do anything for the team," said McDonald.

"And the assumption is that 'Uzzie' can only open as well – I think that he does have the flexibility (to bat elsewhere). We like to think that all our batters have the flexibility to be able to perform anywhere in that order.

"We've got a collective group of batters there that, as the series wears on, the opposition may create some different challenges for us. So we're open to what it would look like for us moving forward."

The other option for Khawaja’s return is to replace Head at the top, with the mercurial left-hander returning to No. 5.

Even though Head averages 59.33 at the top across his last three attempts, McDonald says they’ll have to figure out whether they’d like to keep him there.

“Whether Trav opens, whether he goes back to the middle, that will all play out. We're taking it Test by Test,” McDonald said.

"Each Test presents a new challenge. We've got the red ball in Adelaide – we haven't done that too often recently.

"It's great that Trav has put his hand up to do that in the past. We haven't gone down that path a whole lot. We have in this instance, so will we continue to do that? We'll have to wait and see."

SEN Cricket’s Tom Morris is one who doesn’t think Australia should change a winning formula.

The journalist called for the Aussies to keep Head and Weatherald at the top, while leaving Josh Inglis in the middle order with the side’s batting and fielding ‘far more dynamic now’.

The third Test between Australia and England begins in Adelaide on Wednesday, December 17 – listen to every ball LIVE on SEN, your home of cricket.