Australia batter Usman Khawaja has declared himself hundred per cent fit amid doubts over his inclusion ahead of the third Ashes Test, which begins on December 13.
On Wednesday, Khawaja was included in Australia’s 15-men squad for the Adelaide Test. Having started the series as a first-choice opener, the 38-year-old has slipped down the pecking order, particularly due to the performances of the makeshift opening pair of Travis Head and Jake Weatherald. Across three innings so far, the two left-handed batters have put together partnerships of 77, 37 and 57.
For the first time since suffering back spasms that ruled him out of the second Ashes Test, Khawaja faced the media and confirmed his availability for selection for the Adelaide Test.
“I’m feeling 100 per cent. Unless something else happens, although I felt 100 per cent before Perth too,” Khawaja told reporters in Adelaide. “It’s just one of those things. I’ve done everything I can. That’s why I was training all last week. I was doing rehab, which isn’t ideal because when you get injured, you end up doing more work. I’ve had a fair bit of load, but that’s exactly what I wanted, to get as much work in as possible. I’m running at 100 per cent again, and everything’s feeling pretty good.”
The hosts have yet to lock in their playing XI, with uncertainty surrounding Weatherald’s opening partner. If Khawaja returns to the side, he is most likely to open the batting, which would push Head back to number five, a position in which he has scored the majority of his Test runs.
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