[Getty Images]BBCTue, December 2, 2025 at 11:32 AM UTC·1 min readOver in Australia, the newspapers are beginning to react to Usman Khawaja being omitted from the home squad for Thursday's second Ashes Test in Brisbane.
The 38-year-old struggled with back spasms during the first Test in Perth and was unable to open, scoring two runs at number four in the first innings and not batting in the second.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWith Khawaja ruled out, batter Josh Inglis and all-rounder Beau Webster are set to battle it out for a place in the XI, with Travis Head at the top of the order after he scored a century as a stand-in opener last time out.
The West Australian are excited about that move, telling us to "get ready to ride the Travis Head wave" and touting the South Australian as the successor to the attacking opener David Warner, who retired from Test cricket in January 2024.
In The Age, they note there has been no guarantee of a way back for Khawaja, who has played 85 Tests for Australia since making his debut in 2011.
Meanwhile, in The Australian, they make the case for the injury offering Khawaja the chance to retire with dignity and bid farewell to the Australian crowds at The Gabba.
[BBC]
