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The start of the NRMA Insurance men’s Ashes series has delivered talking points aplenty for England, with ‘BazBall’ under intense scrutiny after the tourists succumbed to a humbling two-day defeat in the first Test.
But Australia are not without their own drama – theirs just happens to be on a golf course.
Opener Usman Khawaja is in the eye of a storm following his back spasms in the first Test, with fans, former team-mates and Cricket Australia officials embroiled in debate about his position.
Khawaja has added fuel to the fire himself, with his latest social media activity angering critics.
Now, his participation in the second Ashes Test, live on TNT Sports and discovery+ from December 4 to 8, has been thrown into doubt.
What has happened? And what might happen next? We recap the timeline of Khawaja’s week and what’s ahead…
Back spasms in Perth
Khawaja took to the field without an issue for the first Test of the Ashes, after England won the toss.
During through the tourists’ batting collapse, though, the 38-year-old left the field due to complaints of back spasms. In the 31st over, skipper Steve Smith was seen gesturing for the batter to re-join his team-mates.
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He eventually returned two overs later, but England were soon all out, and due to International Cricket Council regulations over the length of time spent away from the field, Khawaja was forced to sit out the start of Australia’s innings. Sir Alastair Cook told TNT Sports it was a “careless” miscalculation from the Australian, which saw usual No. 3 Marnus Labuschagne open in Khawaja’s place.
To make matters worse, when Khawaja eventually walked out into the middle, he made just two runs from six balls, and did not appear in the quick-fire second innings chase as Travis Head opened in his place.
News of golf rounds emerges
Following the Test, reports relating to Khawaja’s pre-Test activity quickly surfaced.
The batter was widely reported to have played three rounds of golf (54 holes in total) in the week of the Ashes opener.
Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg seemingly confirmed the news, defending Khawaja in an interview with SEN and stating the routine of playing golf before a Test is nothing new.
Greenberg said: “[Golf] has held him in good stead over the last couple of years. It’s not uncommon for a lot of them to play golf a day prior.
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“Did that correlate to any of the issues? I personally don’t think so. Usman’s a very seasoned campaigner. He knows his body well, and he knows how to get himself prepared for cricket.
“So I think that is drawing a long bow. A lot of people talk about cricket being played between the ears.
“So getting some time away from being in your hotel or at training I think is really important. I noticed Mitch Starc played golf with him, so it certainly didn’t impact his performance.”
Greenberg’s stance was not shared around the cricket world. Mitchell Johnson, Khawaja’s former international team-mate, questioned his professionalism.
In his column for the West Australian, Johnson wrote: “I’m not against players using golf as a way to switch off. But you’ve got to be professional too.
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“Khawaja reportedly played golf in Perth for three days in a row leading into day one of the first Test.
“If I’d done that the day before a Test match, well, I couldn’t imagine playing 18 holes of golf the day before a Test match.
“I reckon Khawaja’s team-mates who don’t spend as much time on the golf course might not be sympathetic either.
“You could reasonably argue that the preparation contributed to the back spasms, and if that’s the case, that’s not doing your job for Australia.”
Social media fury and pro-am pull-out
Following the criticism, Khawaja took to Instagram to fire back with a cheeky post, captioned: “What a week! It had it all.”
The first three photos were of Australia’s victory in Perth, while the final one was a golf course.
Needless to say, the choice of the last photo did not go unnoticed.
Australian Test captain Pat Cummins replied to the post with a golf swing emoji, while Khawaja’s former opening partner David Warner said: “Foreeeeeee.”
Khawaja has now pulled out of a pro-am golf tournament he was signed up to take part in between the first and second Tests.
He was due to play at the Australia PGA Championship’s pro-am event, alongside the likes of fellow cricketer Matt Renshaw and actor Michael Pena.
Will Khawaja play at the Gabba? The second Ashes Test starts on December 4, live on TNT Sports and discovery+, as Australia look to go 2-0 up in the series.
Ahead of the trip to Brisbane, McDonald is still uncertain of Khawaja’s status.
He said: “I’m not sure where he’s at, medically.
“There were discussions around further investigation, whether it was more serious than what we first anticipated.
“We get to camp in six days’ time, so it’s a long way out, a lot of information to gather between now and then. Hopefully he’s fit and available for selection.”
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