Michael Clarke Unsure About Khawaja Rejoining Team in Adelaide Test

The return of Usman Khawaja in the Australian Playing XI is still uncertain, as Travis Head has occupied the opening position by delivering strong performances. Khawaja missed the second test due to back injury, giving Head an opportunity to open the innings against England. Interestingly, Head became the match-winner for Australia by thrashing the bowling of England with explosive batting.

The former Australia captain, Michael Clarke, is also unsure whether Usman Khawaja will return for the Adelaide Test. He said the selectors could pick him for a top-order position; however, he personally does not see any changes to the Playing XI.

"I think the selectors will pick him. I think he'll be back at the top of the order. I don't know if I would make a change, to be honest.” said Michael Clarke.

He then added that senior players are always selected in the team for big tournaments or series. At the end of these events, their time comes to an end, and the same might happen with Khawaja.

"I think I've said before, normally with senior players like that and certainly when you get to that age, you're selected for big tournaments, either a World Cup or an Ashes series, and at the end of those, your time is done.” said Michael Clarke.

The former captain then said that Australia are currently 2-0 up in the series, so they need to stick with their Playing XI. There is no need to bring extra changes in the squad, as the team is already looking well settled. He understands that excluding Khawaja could be a bit harsh, but it could be done while keeping in view the bigger interest of the team.

"Australia are 2-0 up. We've got someone at the top of the order that scored an unbelievable hundred. I don't know if they need to go back to that now. I know that might be hard on Uzzy because he's had a wonderful career and been a big player.” said Michael Clarke.

He also said that Khawaja’s spot seemed very secure before the series, however, things changed quickly during the last two matches. The Australian team started the Ashes strongly with their dynamic plans, so there is no point in going back to the original approach if the new strategy is working well.

"His spot wasn't spoken about before a ball was bowled in this this series, but things have changed. Australia's dominating, their style of play is working, so I don't know if I would go back to that." said Michael Clarke.

Greg Blewett also said that Australia should stick with the same playing XI that defeated England in Perth and Brisbane. He believes the team does not need to change anything in the batting order, as it is already performing well in the Ashes.

"I'm keeping the batting order the same. I think that functioned really well up there for the second Test match so I'm not touching that, although if Usman Khawaja's fit then they may bring him back, but I'm not touching it." said Greg Blewett.

Usman’s Queensland teammate Matt Renshaw believes that the batter could be slotted in at any position. He says Khawaja is a world-class player who can perform at any batting position by relying on his solid fundamentals.

Renshaw and Hussey Backing Usman Khawaja

"Uzzy is a world-class player. He can slot in anywhere, he's an unreal player of spin and can face fast bowling. Head has been doing an amazing job as opener, so there is absolutely a role for Uzzy to play at five and he averages 250 [238] batting at five in Test cricket." said Matt Renshaw.

Meanwhile, Mike Hussey also believes that Usman Khawaja should return to his original batting position if he gets the required fitness. He said Australia should try to stick with its core strategy, as dynamic plans could often backfire in tough situations.

"If you think about it, before the Ashes series started, Khawaja was at the top of the order. Would that one innings change the whole mindset of the selectors? From him being locked in as the opener for the Ashes series, to one innings later suddenly he's just out of the team. In my mind, no.” said Mike Hussey.

"Just thinking about [the Perth Test] pragmatically, it wouldn't change my thinking that much." concluded Mike Hussey.

The third Ashes test will start on December 17 in Adelaide. It would be interesting to see what type of combination Australia will use in that match, as competition within the team is very high. Travis Head is expected to open the innings again, so fans could see Usman Khawaja somewhere in the middle order.