Veteran Australian opener Usman Khawaja has intensified scrutiny of his Ashes preparation after posting a golf-course image to Instagram in the aftermath of a difficult first Test in Perth. The 38-year-old opener struggled with back spasms throughout the match and did not take his usual place at the top of the order in either innings of Australia’s eight-wicket win. He made almost no impact with the bat, while Travis Head’s blistering century as a stand-in opener helped set up a comfortable victory.
Questions over Khawaja’s readiness grew louder when it emerged that he had played golf on three consecutive days in the build-up to the Test. That included the day before the match, when he skipped an optional training session to take part in a round linked to a pro-am appearance. By the time the series began, his back was in such discomfort that he batted at four in the first innings and did not appear at all during the fourth-innings chase of 205.
The sequence of events around his preparation and subsequent injury had already prompted murmurs within the cricket community. His Instagram post on Monday evening transformed those murmurs into a pointed debate. Khawaja uploaded a series of images from the week, including a tranquil shot of a lakeside fairway, paired with the caption: “What a week! It had it all.”
Inside the Australian dressing room, the reaction appeared joking and relaxed. Pat Cummins replied with a golf-swing emoji, David Warner offered a long “Foreeeeeee” and former seamer Trent Copeland added laughing emojis. To those within the bubble, it looked like familiar banter about Khawaja’s love of golf.
The response outside that circle has been far more severe. Former fast bowler Mitchell Johnson criticised both the optics and the judgement, suggesting the preparation was inappropriate for a senior player during an Ashes series.
“Everyone has their way of preparing and I am not against players using golf as a way to switch off,” Johnson wrote in The Nightly. “But you have to be professional too. From the outside it does not look great. You could reasonably argue that the preparation contributed to the back spasms and if that is the case then that is not doing your job properly for Australia.”
Khawaja had initially been listed to play the Australian PGA pro-am on Wednesday, pending Test commitments. It was later revealed that he had withdrawn from the event immediately after the Perth match.
The timing of the controversy is particularly awkward as selectors ponder their options for the second Test. Head’s outstanding 123 at the top has strengthened his credentials and younger openers are beginning to apply pressure from below. In that context, Khawaja’s seven-word caption feels less like a throwaway line and more like a moment that could shape the weeks ahead.
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Published By:
Saurabh Kumar
Published On:
Nov 25, 2025
