The Ashes second Test day one LIVE: Matthew Hayden cautious of England after ‘crushing’ defeat

The future of Usman Khawaja in the Test arena is looking clouded after he was left out of the side due to a niggling back issue.

Khawaja struggled to partake in the first game of the Ashes series due to back spasms and in his absence, Travis Head scored a blistering ton at the top of the order.

Head will now remain in the opening role at the Gabba due to the ongoing dramas surrounding the 38-year-old’s back.

Travis Head celebrates his century AP

“My understanding was that he [Khawaja] got through it and he felt some soreness – otherwise, I thought he would have played,” Matthew Hayden said on SEN.

“You’re not gonna give him one game and then punt him, he got a pretty good rock as well actually in Perth, one of the few real decent ones.” 

Mike Whitney admits that while he could prove his fitness during the series, it could be curtains for Khawaja’s time in the baggy green.

“It’s a hard thing for me to talk about Usman – I met him as a young kid, he played for our club Randwick Petersham and played first grade at 16,” Whitney told SEN.

“I’d love to see Usman play again, but the back spasms are a problem as you get a little bit older, these things come in.

“He’s had a wonderful career, but I would think the powers that be are looking at that and thinking ‘are you gonna get through’ … there’s a lot of questions around it.

“I’d like to see Usman play again, but maybe we won’t.”

Usman Khawaja Getty