LISA STHALEKAR: Usman Khawaja does not deserve a farewell tour after first Test chaos

When Travis Head walked out to the middle with opener Jake Wetherald we couldn’t believe our eyes.

Not another opening combination! This is the Ashes, we still need 205 runs. Where is Usman Khawaja?

Yet five hours later, the Aussies had wrapped up the first Test in the most extraordinary circumstances. Could the left-hander, David Boon look-a-like emerge as our new regular Test opener?

Apart from being in awe like the rest of the Australian fans, I started to think, had the Aussies accidentally stumbled across a blueprint that may be used at times. Or maybe a lot of times in the future.

Head has opened in four innings listed at number one for the team to face the first ball and has incredible strike rate of 119.35 and averages 46.25.

When he opens listed at number two in the order, which he has done five times, he averages 64.75 at an even more impressive strike rate of 79.69.

For those playing along, Head is a great option to open when required, having recently fronted up against the Sri Lankans on spinning tracks.

He is actually the go to guy when pitches are difficult and Australia are wanting to impose themselves early on.

Is life always fair? In my experience it isn’t, so why do we try to conjure up happily ever after endings in sport.

He proved in this innings and his white ball career, that he isn’t just a one-trick pony. He, too, can be just as destructive against a decent pace attack.

Greg Chappell was calling for Mitch Marsh to be included in the Test squad to team-up with Usman Khawaja before the start of the Ashes. Citing that Khawaja needed an aggressive style player up the other end to keep the scoreboard going in the right direction.

I would go another step further, that even Marnus Labuschange needs to bat with a similar type player. Look at his approach when he came in and batted with Head in the second innings. A completely different approach. Sometimes players feed off other each other.

Ian Chappell prior to the Ashes beginning highlighted what an important job David Warner did at the top, laying the ground work for them idle in order to build on his early success with the bowlers on the back foot.

Since Warner’s retirement from the Test team, both Khawaja’s and Labuschagne’s average has declined, with Labuschagne more considerably.

Khawaja has gone from averaging 47.38 when Warner played to 37.17 without him and Labuschagne has plummeted from 56.97 to 27.51 post-Warner.

Australia have tried a number of players to replace Warner, (Steve Smith, Nathan McSweeny, Sam Konstas, Head, Labuschagne and finally Weatherald).

A total of six openers within the space of nearly two years and 13 Tests.

And let’s not forget that Khawaja will be also be turning 39 before the Boxing Day Test match, is carrying a back injury and is not in everyone’s good books for playing three days of golf before the first Test.

Are the selectors and team management brave enough to pull the trigger now, instead of the end of the summer?

Wetherald should at the top, he looked more at ease in the second innings.

I loved his little fist pump celebration when he finally got off the mark. Instead, make the bold change now by moving past Khawaja.

Otherwise, selectors could fall into the same trap that put the Aussie team in this position in the first place.

They allowed Warner a chance to finish his Test career in front of family and friends at the SCG in 2024.

Whilst it was a fitting way to say goodbye to one of our great openers, there was a missed opportunity to blood a new opener against a slightly weaker attack of Pakistan, before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and now the Ashes.

This is the Ashes. Australians are 1-0 up, so just pick your best 11 to press home the advantage in Brisbane where the conditions are more like a day-night one-dayer anyway, an environment Head thrives in.

The English bowling attack will be praying selectors stand by Khawaja with the nightmares Head has caused them already.

Is it fair to drop Usman? My real question to you all, is life always fair? In my experience it isn’t, so why do we try to conjure up happily ever after endings in sport.

Just think, if Steve Smith didn’t have concussion back in 2019 at Lords, who knows when Labuschagne would have cemented his spot in the Test side.

That Test was the start of a remarkable nine Tests where he scored 1249 runs, averaging 83.26. Sometimes injuries prevent opportunities and this to me has created an opportunity.

With Head moving up to open, that would leave the number five position open, for Cameron Green to slide up and make space for Beau Webster to come back into the side.