Have we seen the last of Usman Khawaja?

A preview of the second Ashes test at the Gabba, which begins on Thursday, December 4.

Take a look at the possible starting XI for Australia, who look likely to unleash Travis Head at the top of the order again after Usman Khawaja was ruled out due to a back injury.

England has named its XI for the second test, but will be without Mark Wood due to a knee injury.

Also, three England players have had a run in with the law just days out from the Gabba test in Brisbane. Find out exactly what happened.

Thank you for listening! Be sure to follow on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and/or Instagram.

Transcript

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Hello and welcome to another edition of the Ashes to Ashes podcast where we delve into everything related to the Australian and England cricket teams, both men's and women's, as they gear up for another Ashes campaign, and they're always gearing up for an Ashes campaign. I'm your host, NewsQuest journalist and avid cricket fan, Patrick Glover, and we've got a quick episode today just to preview the second Ashes Test match up at the GABA. But before we tuck into that, just a quick reminder to give us a follow and a rating wherever you listen to your podcast, whether it be on the likes of Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere else. So Australia head into the second test up at the GABA with a 1-0 lead after an eight-wicket hammering of England in the first test over in Perth. England have named their 11, which we will get to in a minute, but the Australian starting 11 is still a little bit up in the air. We have a little bit more clarity on what is happening at the top of the order, with Usman Kawaja ruled out due to back spasms. So he was unable to recover in time for the second test. While the squad remains unchanged, so that squad again is Steve Smith, Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labershain, Josh Inglis, Bo Webster, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Mitchell Stark, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett, Michael Nisa, and Usman Kawaja. So still no Pat Cummins, despite him tracking really well in the Nets, he's been bowling with the Pink Ball, was bowling in the Perth Nets ahead of the first test, and looked like he was on track to play in the second test, but not named in that squad. But we'll get to him in a minute. I want to start with Usman Kawaja. So as I say, he's been ruled out of this second test up at the Gabba, which opens the door of a Travball to return. It seems to be that what everyone's been talking about since the first test, and exciting to you would assume, see Travis Head back at the top of the order. England were unable to adapt in that first test to Travis Head's all-out attack. They obviously came in with a plan to attack him with the short ball, and when that didn't work, it just seemed like they didn't have another option. And with Travis Head opening the batting, they wasted the new ball, obviously bowling short and not pitching it up and allowing it to swing and and get the most out of the conditions. So I think they they missed a trick there. And and while it's not taking anything away from Travis's innings, because what he did was outstanding, and I feel like wherever they bowled, he was he was going to take him apart. But it just put the pressure back on the bowlers when Travis was able to play the way he did, and and England didn't have any answers. So it'll be interesting to see whether they can adapt to that coming into this next test. So that's obviously you would assume that would be the way that Australia are going to go. They've been looking for for someone like, I guess, like a Travis head to come up, ever since David Warner retired from test cricket, they've been looking for that aggressive opening option and and haven't been able to quite find it. So I think this could be the answer. The other option I think is Josh Inglis as well. He opened the batting in the in the CA 11 game versus the English Lions the other week and made a century in the second innings after a 40 in the first. So he doesn't usually open the batting and and hasn't had much experience at it, even at first class level for WA. So I would be inclined to go to Travis, I think, ahead of Josh Inglis. Although he's made that hundred for the CA 11. I still think that that Trav's the answer there. But so then if Trav does go up to open, that obviously leaves a spot open at number five. I think Cameron Green moves up from six to five and takes that spot, and then it obviously then comes down to who comes into the side, whether it be Webster or Inglis. We know Webster's obviously done a fantastic job at that number six role in the last 12 months since he came in and replaced Mitch Marsh last summer. Hasn't really done anything wrong, but due to the strength of that Aussie setup, was the unlucky one to miss out in that first test over in Perth. But unfortunately, again, I think he he may miss out again. I think Josh Inglis is is is gonna get the nod whether he comes in at number five or six. But if the fielding drills up at the Gabba or anything to go by over the last couple of days, there's been photos of him fielding a slip with the other Aussie test players. So obviously simulating that game-like conditions in the slips court, and so that could be a nod to him coming into that side. And I think that would be a good sort of like-for-like replacement. Inglis is an aggressive batsman as well, so it still allows Australia to move Travis Head up to the top of the order, but then not lose that aggressive sort of counterpunch down the order if they need it as well. Again, Webster's done nothing wrong, and and it must be really hard for him, sort of having done nothing wrong, to be dropped and then to be leapfrogged by someone like English, but I think that looks like the way that they're gonna go. The other question for this test match is is do Australia play four quicks? We've seen in pink ball tests over the last couple of summers that it suits fast bowlers, and the Gabba pitch looks very green, so I dare say it's it's gonna suit pace bowlers. And Nathan Lyon, he only bowled a couple of overs in that first test. And then I heard an interesting start the other day that in the eight games that Australia have played outside of the turning conditions in Asia in the past 12 months, Nathan Lyon has bowled less than 10 overs in four of them. Didn't bowl much in the pink bowl test last summer either. So I think with the the conditions up at the GABA and the pink ball suiting pace bowlers, I think that Australia should go in with four quicks. And there is talk that Pat Cummins, while he's not been named in that squad, could come into that playing 11. Australia have held off announcing it's it's starting 11 until the toss, which begs the question: could Pat Cummins be a late inclusion into that starting eleven? And if Pat Cummins doesn't come in, obviously then it it opens the door for Michael Nisa to make his return into the Australian side. And we all know what he can do, and and it's obviously his home conditions as well. So he knows how to bowl up at the Gabber and his type of bowling will definitely suit pink ball cricket. So a dangerous attack, whichever way you look at it, whether they opt to go, whether Cummins is fit and they opt to go with him, whether they go with Nissa or Nathan Lyons also proven that he can take wickets in in pink ball cricket as well. So whichever way they go, it's gonna be a dangerous bowling lineup there and a dangerous batting lineup with Travis Head going up to the top of the order and either Inglis or Webster slotting in at five and six. So for me, I think my starting 11 for that second test for Australia is gonna be Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labershane, Steve Smith, Cameron Green coming in at five. I think Josh Inglis gets the nod just ahead of Bo Webster coming in there at six. Then you've got Alex Carey at seven, followed by Patty Cummins. I just feel like there's something that the Aussie selectors aren't sort of telling us, and all the signs look like that that Patty Cummins is going to come back in and play this next test. And then obviously the hero from the first test, Mitchell Stark, Scott Bowl, and and Brenda Dogger, I think he showed enough in the first test that he deserves another go. And the way that he bowls, I think, will suit the pink ball and also Gabba conditions. So expect him to be among the wicket takers in this second test match. So what does that mean for Uzman Kwaja then? With his demotion out of the team, where does it leave him? For me personally, I think the back injury saves Aussie's selectors having to have a very hard conversation with Uzzy to tell him that he's dropped. I think Travis Head proved in that first test match that that he's the man to open the batting in this Ashes series, and it's it doesn't necessarily need to be a long-term fix. Travis doesn't need to stay at the top of the order and always open the batting, but I think for this series the matchup against England is right, and I think it's the way to go in this series, and then obviously something that can be considered going forward as a long-term option. But I think definitely for this Ashes series, I think Travis Head is the man now with Jake Weatherald. There's obviously a long way to go between now and the end of the series, but you've still you've got guys like Maddie Renshaw who's bashing the door down at shield level as well, um, having peeled off a couple of hundreds for Queensland since returning from the white ball setup for Australia. So he's another option that could come into the squad. As I mentioned, Josh Inglis made a hundred for the CA 11 the other day against the English Lions uh uh opening the batting, so he could be another one. Uzzy's been a fantastic servant for Australia, and especially over the last four years since he came back into the Aussie side, he's been the leading run scorer uh in that period. He's been a fantastic player, but I I think we might have seen the last of him in the Australian side. In the last sort of 12 months or so, he just looks like he's really struggled against good fast bowling. The double hundred in Sri Lanka, I think, covered up some cracks, but that was in spin-friendly conditions, and we know he plays spin bowling really well. But as I say, once he comes up against good fast bowlers, it just seems like there's a ball not too far away with his name on it. So, as I say, as much as it pains me to say, I think we we may have seen the last of Usman Kowajer. So moving on to England now, they have named their 11 for the second test at the Gabba. There is one change to that side. In comes Will Jax, well, out goes Mark Wood, who is suffering from a knee injury. So that starting 11 for England will be Zach Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brooke, Ben Stokes, Jamie Smith, Will Jax, Gus Atkinson, Joffra Archer, and Bryden Cars. So no real surprises there. I feel like Jacks is probably a good inclusion. Obviously, Mark Wood missing out. Again, that's not really much of a surprise either. I knew that he was going to fall out at some point due to injury, but I think Will Jax comes in, he adds a spin option, but also strengthens the batting unit as well. So they bat down to eight and even nine. Atkinson has shown that he can bat at international level. He's got a test match 100, so it just strengthens their batting a little bit. The batters are really going to need to step up in this next test. They really let the side down in Perth. They only faced a total of around about 67 overs for the entire test match. They just need to bat for longer. They need to give themselves time to get in. This buzzball style of cricket just isn't going to work. And especially in Australia, the conditions don't suit. You can't be out and out attack all the time. You need to work shift through the gears, work out when to attack and when not to. And I think the quicker that England work that out, the better. Because if they keep playing the way they did in the first test, it's going to be a 5-0 ashes whitewash. The other point is that they need to stay out for longer so that it gives time for the bowlers to recover. The bowlers from the first innings to the second innings only got 30 overs to take a break before they had to be out again. And especially for the bowling attack that they've got, they've selected an out and out pace attack. And especially for guys like Joffra Archer and Mark Wood, who haven't played much Test cricket recently, they need that time off the field to recharge and be able to use that weapon of speed. If you saw in the the difference between the first innings and the second innings, the first innings, the bowling unit of England looked really dangerous because their speeds were up and they bowled that attacking line and length. But in the second innings, their pace dropped right off and and they didn't look anywhere near as dangerous. And obviously, again, that goes back to Australia batting well and Travis had obviously knocked them off their lines. But the batters need to look after the bowlers, they need to give them more time to recover so that they can be bowling at top speed and putting that scare factor back into it. So they really need to lift their game, they need to rein in their aggression and just play the conditions. Perth was obviously a really tough pitch, but it's only going to get worse in this second test. The Gabba looks like it's a bit of a green top, and then the pink ball as well under lights is going to do all sorts for the quick bowlers. So guys like Crawley, who really struggled in that first test, aren't going to have it any easier in this second test. And they opted out of not playing in that PM11s game. Well, they could have had a bit of a hit against the pink ball under lights, but decided not to. As I said, Mark Wood out of that that side with a a knee injury. And again, it's it just goes back to what I said at the start of the series that it's all well and good to pick uh an out and out pace battery where you're gonna use pace as your main weapon. That's great, and especially in Australian conditions, that's a really good sort of tactic to have. But as I say, you need to be able to keep those guys fit. And with Archer and Wood having played barely any Test cricket recently, it was always gonna be a struggle to keep them on the park for long periods of time. And with his baseball style of cricket, meaning that games are going for shorter and they have a really short turnaround, it was always gonna go against them, and it's it's already started to have an effect with Mark Wood out of just the second test. The other one that's interesting is is Shoe Bashir's omission. Once again, they obviously picked him out of obscurity a couple of years ago for this test series to bowl in Australian conditions, and in the first two tests he hasn't featured at all. Even if he comes in for the next test in Adelaide, it might almost be game over by the time he even gets to bowl a ball. So obviously, the past the past couple of wickets, so Perth and Brisbane are probably more pace bowler-friendly. I understand that, but I just think that obviously if you've picked Bashir and gone, he's our lead spinner, and then for someone like Will Jax to come into the squad as sort of a backup spin option and then to get picked ahead of him, I'd sort of be scratching my head a little bit and going, Well, hang on, what what do I have to do? If you've picked me to bowl in Australian conditions and now you're not picking me, yeah, I don't know. I and I look, I'd I obviously understand the Will Jax selection. I think that's a good one from England. I I understand it obviously strengthens their batting, and that's great. But as I say, to lead Bashir into this series and and say, Yeah, we're picking you for these conditions and then not to play him, it just seems an interesting one for me. So after a thumping in the first test and then being slammed by the media since then, now some of England's players are in even more trouble. So Stokes, Jamie Smith, and Mark Wood all were caught in Brisbane recently on e-scooters without a helmet. So that is illegal up in Queensland and usually incurs a$166 or$82 fine. So in trouble off the field as well. And Ollie Pope and Ben Stokes have both come out sort of during the week and said, Oh, well, next time we just put a helmet on. It's at the end of the day, it's breaking a law. And and Stokes, it it's just the way that Stokes addressed it. I I watched an interview he did in the last couple of days, and a journalist sort of said, Oh, are you gonna apologize for it? Do you have anything else to say? And and Stokes sort of said, Oh, sort of joked about it and said, Oh, yeah, we'll put our helmet on next time. And and it's just the way that he refused to apologize. I I understand that obviously it could have been a mistake and and being in in foreign conditions, you're unsure about what the laws are, but one, surely you checked that before you you went out and did anything like that, and two, surely something a simple mistake like that, you own up to it and you go, Yep, I'm really sorry. Didn't know what the rules were, and and we should have checked before we went out and did it. But again, it's and I know that Stokes said that they don't like the word arrogant, but I just everything they do at the moment is is frustrating me, and it just arrogance seems like the right word to use, and it it seems like this arrogance is now transferring from on the field off it, and this is a classic example where it's almost like, oh, we're above the law, and oh, we can have a bit of a laugh about it, but just own up to your mistake, and it it's like the cricket that they've been playing, just own up to the fact that oh yeah, maybe this isn't the way that we should be going about it. Where we'll listen to external sources, we'll listen to ex-players that know what they're talking about, own up to the mistakes, apologize, and then go, okay, we're gonna fix it now. But it just yeah, as I say, arrogance, arrogance is the word that springs to mind. And I don't care what Ben Stokes said, arrogance is the word that I'm sticking to. So that brings us to the end of another edition of the Ashes to Ashes podcast. As I say, just a quick episode today to have a quick preview of the second Ashes test, which kicks off in just a couple of hours' time. I'll be back next week with a wrap-up of that second test and also a look ahead to the third test, which takes place in Adelaide. In the meantime, be sure to give us a follow and a rating wherever you listen to your podcast, whether it be on the likes of Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or anywhere else. Enjoy the second test, and I'll be back next week. So I'll see you then.