Ashes: Usman Khawaja picked as Australia announce squad for Sydney Test against England

Sydney [Australia], January 1 (ANI): Australia announced the 15-member squad on Thursday for the fifth and final Ashes Test against England, starting on January 4 in Sydney, as confirmed by cricket.com.au.
In the absence of regular captain Pat Cummins, veteran batter Steve Smith will continue to lead the Australian side. Pat Cummins missed the first two Ashes Tests against England after failing to recover on time due to a lower back injury.
Cummins returned to the side and played at the Adelaide Oval and captained Australia, as the host won and retained the Ashes.
However, the Australian management has decided to give Cummins rest for the remainder of the Ashes series to manage his workload and keep him fit for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. The right-arm pacer is also part of Australia's provisional squad for the marquee tournament.
Meanwhile, amid ongoing Test retirement speculations, the 39-year-old Usman Khawaja has retained his place in the squad for the fifth Ashes Test against England in Sydney.
In the ongoing Ashes series, the 39-year-old Khawaja started as Australia's long-standing opener. During the second innings of the Perth Test, Khawaja didn't come out to bat after he suffered back spasms. He missed the Brisbane Test and was initially left out for Adelaide, only being recalled to bat at No. 4 because of Steven Smith's illness, who was ruled out of the Test.
During the fourth Ashes Test against England, Khawaja played in the middle order with Travis Head and Jack Weatherald. The left-handed batter made 29 off 52 balls and a two-ball duck across both innings.
In the ongoing Ashes, Khawaja has made 153 runs in three matches and five innings at an average of 30.60, including one fifty, which came in Adelaide.
The hosts will look to bounce back in the upcoming Sydney Test after they suffered a four-wicket loss in the Boxing Day Test against the Ben Stokes-led England at Melbourne.
Australia squad for fifth Ashes Test:
Steve Smith (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster. (ANI)