Star Australia Batter Ruled Out of 2nd Ashes 2025 Test at the Gabba

Australia batter Usman Khawaja has been ruled out of the 2nd Ashes 2025 Test at the Gabba due to a back spasm. He sustained this injury in the opening game in Perth, which is the reason why he didn’t open in the second innings either.

According to reports, Khawaja batted for about 30 minutes in the nets and was clearly in discomfort due to back issues. So, Australia were forced to exclude him from the XI, even though he will continue travelling with the team and no replacement will be named.

The left-hander endured a poor run in the first game, where he registered a score of 2 in his only innings at No.4 and wasn’t required in the second innings. His recent form was already underwhelming, especially at home, and his back injury only made his job harder as a batter.

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Khawaja, who will soon be 39, will need to manage himself carefully at this stage of his career, but problems will only increase for Australia in the coming days. They haven’t found David Warner’s replacement yet, and have already used multiple batters at the top, and Khawaja’s absence will mean they must find a completely new opening pair.

Who will replace Usman Khawaja in Australia playing XI for 2nd Ashes 2025 Test?

Usman Khawaja’s absence will force Australia to find a suitable opener and also another batter or all-rounder in the XI. The obvious options are Josh Inglis or Beau Webster, both of whom have done well in patches in red-ball cricket.

Inglis can open the innings or bat in the middle order as required, while Webster provides an all-round option – someone who bats in the middle and bowls useful medium pace. Australia will likely select Webster, who has done well for them previously in his short career and gives more options to the side.

For the opening slot, they will likely prefer Travis Head, who played a magnificent knock in the second innings of the Perth Test to win the game for Australia. He had earlier stated that he is ready to embrace the opening challenge after finding instant success.

The only issue will be the pink ball, which naturally moves more than usual, making life arduous for opening batters. However, Head’s attacking ability also gives him an equal chance to negate early threats and provide Australia a rapid start at the Gabba.

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