Usman Khawaja is clearly unbothered by the criticism surrounding his decision to play golf in the lead-up to the Ashes series opener.
The 38-year-old has been the talk of the cricket world over the past few days after he failed to open the batting in both innings of Australia’s dominant win in Perth.
Khawaja suffered from back spasms during the first innings whilst fielding and had to leave the field. During his time in the sheds, England completely collapsed.
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Due to ICC rules, the left-hander was not allowed to take the field and bat until the period of time he spent off the field had passed.
Usman Khawaja Getty
He then came in at No.4 but was dismissed for 2, before Travis Head took his spot in the second innings and scored a blistering, match-winning century.
Head’s knock has placed plenty of pressure on Khawaja to retain his spot for the second Test in Brisbane next week – but the veteran seems to be taking it all in his stride.
In a social media post on Monday night, Khawaja shared a handful of photos from the first match against England, as well as a photo of a golf course.
“What a week! It had it all,” he wrote via Instagram.
David Warner commented on the post saying “Foreeeeeeee” while injured captain Pat Cummins simply replied with an emoji of a man swinging a golf club.
Former Test bowler Trent Copeland offered three laughing emojis under the post.
While those close to Khawaja don’t appear to be worried by his golf-playing exploits, not everyone is pleased with the Australian opener’s preparation for the series.
Mitchell Johnson – the man who tore through England in the 2013/14 series – believes the decision to take to the course for three days before Perth wasn’t a good look.
“I’m not against players using golf as a way to switch off,” he wrote for The Nightly.
“But you’ve got to be professional too. Khawaja reportedly played golf in Perth for three days in a row leading into day one of the first Test. I reckon Khawaja’s teammates who don’t spend as much time on the golf course might not be sympathetic either.
“From the outside, it doesn’t look great”.
Johnson also described Khawaja’s absence as a “self-inflicted back spasm fiasco”.
Mitchell Johnson GC Images
Cricket Australia have indicated Khawaja’s back issues started during the field on the first day of the Test match and were not related to him playing golf.
Andrew McDonald would not confirm on Monday whether the opener would feature at the Gabba, with plenty of time until the second Test gets underway on December 4.
“It’s a long way out, a lot of information to gather between now and then … hopefully Usman is fit and available for selection,” the Australian coach told media.
Khawaja has played 85 Tests in the baggy green and averages 43.56 with bat in hand, notching 16 centuries for his country and amassing more than 6000 runs.
