Australia opener Usman Khawaja has responded to calls from his Test axing ahead of the third Test at Adelaide Oval against Ben Stokes and England

“I threw them into the net [in Brisbane]I was cracking them, even Beau [Webster] was with me [saying]’God, you hit ’em good,’ and I said yes, but my back hurt. It had still been two days and my back was still very stiff and very difficult; I didn’t want to start the game, the risk was too high. Afterwards we sat and chatted with the selectors, we were still hurting.

“If it had been the second-to-last game or the last game, we could have potentially pushed it, but it probably wasn’t worth it in the second game and I didn’t want to leave players hanging again. So we thought the best thing for the team was to stay out and make sure it was 100 percent right, not go into another game with a little glitch.”

Khawaja has not played golf since his back problem flared up during the Perth Test but was adamant in denying it was a contributing factor. After speaking with Greenberg about his comments on the field, Khawaja was cleared of any sanctions related to publicly damaging comments.

“[On] golf one, [it’s] It doesn’t really matter to me what others say. I have always been a professional,” Khawaja said of claims that playing golf for three consecutive days ahead of the Perth Test had contributed to back spasms.

“The door thing wasn’t a big deal to me. I talked to Todd [Greenberg] like adults about it and everything was taken care of. To be really honest, I think it’s more of an issue for the media and everyone else, but it’s all sorted out, no problem.

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“Some things are probably [affect me]Some things probably aren’t. I understand more from what others read. I don’t go out and read something, it’s this environment. Then sometimes things come out of nowhere and you definitely can’t hide from it. Some things happen and some things don’t happen [affect me]but I don’t see the importance of talking about it.

As for how Head and Jake Weatherald have taken the attack to England with their combative opening trio, Khawaja said he can bat with different equipment but also absorb the new ball when the situation calls for it. He also observed that Head’s so-called “lobbying” to open had been misunderstood.

“I think Travis said he was quietly lobbying. It was more of Heady always saying, ‘If you need me to open, I’ll open,'” Khawaja said.

“I made a joke [Andrew McDonald about it]I said, ‘Quiet lobbying – that’s some of the quietest lobbying I’ve ever heard of,’ and he chuckled and said, ‘Yes.’ Heady is a team player, if he needs to open up he will always open up, but he doesn’t knock on doors from behind and say ‘I want to open’.

“I can bat in so many different ways. I’ve played T20 and one-day cricket for Australia, I’ve done well in all formats. I’ve got gear at any time.

“Sometimes, to be really successful in an opening over a long period of time, not just for one or two games, you have to find a way to be consistent, so I’ve always been conscious of that. Sometimes the game and the situation demands that as well. I just play the game that’s in front of me.”

Regarding the test that starts on Wednesday, Khawaja said there are enough old minds in the Australian side to ensure they do not underestimate England, especially after giving up the 2-0 advantage in England in 2023.

“This was a good lesson for a lot of them, especially the young ones, I hope they still remember it,” he said. “The hardest times are always the best lessons.

“One of the toughest matches I’ve ever played [at] While at Headingley Stokesy [Ben Stokes] He played one of the great innings. It never got lost in my head after that. “You have a ninth team and it never ends, so learn good lessons from that.”

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