Australia were left grappling with unexpected turbulence on the opening day of the first Ashes Test in Perth, as a sudden fitness concern for Usman Khawaja prompted an unplanned shake-up in their batting order. The veteran opener suffered a back spasm during England’s innings and twice left the field, restricting when he could bat and forcing the team to rethink their approach on the fly.
Mitchell Starc explained after stumps that the full extent of the issue only became clear late in the session, by which time Australia were already sliding into trouble with early wickets falling.
“I didn’t know about it until the ninth wicket, when he still had maybe 10 minutes or so. Because he’d spent time off the field, I think he had a back spasm there, the second time he came off, so we got caught off guard a little bit with the wickets falling pretty quickly at the back end,” Starc said in the press conference.
Khawaja, unable to open, eventually walked in following the second dismissal, shortly after Marnus Labuschagne chopped on for nine. But the senior batter’s stay was brief, edging behind for two as Australia continued to struggle under overcast skies and sharp movement off the pitch.
His delayed entry meant debutant Jake Weatherald had to front up sooner than expected. With Labuschagne temporarily elevated to open, Weatherald took first strike but survived only two deliveries, trapped lbw by a swinging Jofra Archer delivery that set the tone for a challenging afternoon for the hosts.
Khawaja fit to continue on Day 2?
By the close, Australia were tottering at 123 for 9, still 49 runs short of England’s first-innings total. The collapse left the side heavily reliant on their bowlers to salvage momentum heading into day two. Starc acknowledged the disruption was “unfortunate” and said the team would monitor Khawaja closely.
“He’ll manage that overnight and see how we’re at tomorrow,” he said, hinting that Australia may need to prepare for further adjustments if the opener remains hampered.
With England in command and Australia facing uncertainty over one of their most experienced batters, the second day looms as a critical opportunity for the hosts to regain footing in a match that has already delivered intense early drama.