Warner backs Khawaja as opener ahead of Adelaide Ashes Test

Adelaide [Australia], December 12 (ANI): Former Australian cricketer David Warner has thrown his support behind his former opening partner Usman Khawaja to reclaim the opener's spot for the third Ashes Test in Adelaide, arguing that keeping Travis Head at No. 5 is the setup most likely to trouble England, as per ESPNcricinfo.
If Khawaja is cleared to play after his back spasms, Australia's selectors will be confronted with a major decision in a match where the hosts could wrap up the Ashes. In Khawaja's absence in Perth, Head and Jake Weatherald--playing in his debut Test series--have put together two strong opening stands.
"I think Uzzy (Usman Khawaja) comes back in, slides to the top, and Trav (Travis Head) goes down. That's probably a worse result for England, Travis Head going back down the order," Warner told reporters, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
Head averages 41.46 at No. 5, a position from which he has scored eight of his ten Test hundreds, including three at his home venue, Adelaide Oval.
Warner also noted that Head could still be a viable opening option once Khawaja retires, though he said that there's no certainty it would be a long-term success.
"At the end of the day, Travis put his hand up to bat in the situation he was in. He came out and batted in the way Travis Head does. You see plenty of interviews from Trav saying that is Uzzy's spot, and if when the time comes, they ask him to go up the order, he wouldn't mind doing that," Warner added.
"We didn't have that aggressor down in the middle order [in previous years]. Australia has that now as well, and moving forward with whatever Uzzy decides to do, if he hangs them up, they can look that way. But then it's on all of us to understand that potentially might not work and Travis will have to go back down the order. And then they are going to have to look for another replacement. The selectors have a headache," said the former Australian opener.
Australia have struggled to lock in a stable opening pair since Warner's retirement in early 2024. Before Khawaja was sidelined, he had already batted with five different opening partners in just 15 Tests. (ANI)