“I’m not sure about the middle order, but I’d probably expect Trav to open given the make-up of our squad,” Boland told reporters.
“I’ve got no idea really what they’re going to do … to bat someone at five or Greeny might go up one? Or pick someone else at six? We’ll find out probably tomorrow.”
Despite his work with stretching bands at training on Tuesday, Usman Khawaja’s back injury did not recover in time for him to play in the second Ashes Test.Credit: Getty Images
Boland said he believed Khawaja had done enough in the nets on Monday to prove his fitness.
“It’s hard because he’s put in a lot of work since the last game and get his body right,” Boland said. “But yeah, he hasn’t come up unfortunately. I thought he looked pretty good in the nets but he must have thought to himself he wasn’t good to go.”
Asked if the late withdrawal was unsettling, Boland said: “I guess it is a little bit. We probably planned to have Uzzie there the whole time. The best thing about our team over the last few years is when someone has come out, either due to form or an injury, someone’s always stood up and done their job. I think Trav did that last week.
“We’ve got huge depth in our squad and we can replace anyone if we need to.
Gone? Has Usman Khawaja played his last Test for Australia?Credit: AAPIMAGE
“Beau’s obviously done really well. He was a big part of the team when he was in it. He was making really good runs at six and bowling really important overs. He’s a gun catcher. Anytime that he’s in the team, that makes us a stronger team.
Khawaja’s latest setback adds to growing uncertainty over his Test future. He is averaging 35.6 this year, despite belting 232 against Sri Lanka. He has one score above 90 in his past 45 Test innings. At training on Tuesday, Khawaja was seen stretching rather than participating fully.
Meanwhile, England have finalised their XI, with spinning all-rounder Will Jacks set to replace the injured Mark Wood. Despite not playing a Test since December 2022, the Surrey off-spinner will line up for just the third match of his career in an otherwise unchanged England side.
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