David Warner has thrown his weight behind Usman Khawaja’s return to the top of the order for the third Ashes Test in Adelaide, arguing that restoring the veteran left-hander to his usual position would pose greater challenges for England as Australia look to wrap up the series.
Khawaja, who is recovering from back spasms, leaves Australia with a key selection dilemma ahead of the third Test. Travis Head and Jake Weatherald have impressed as a makeshift opening pair in the first two matches, producing fifty-plus stands on both occasions and prompting discussion about keeping the combination intact. Head coach Andrew McDonald has even hinted that Khawaja could be used in the middle order. But Warner believes the team should revert to its original structure.
“I think Uzzy (Khawaja) comes back in, slides to the top, and Trav (Head) goes down,” Warner said. “That’s probably a worse result for England — Travis Head going back down the order.”
Head has a strong record at No. 5, averaging 41.46 with eight of his 10 Test centuries at that position, including three in Adelaide. Warner added that while Head moving up could be an option once Khawaja retires, there is no certainty the experiment would work long-term.
“At the end of the day, Travis put his hand up to bat in the situation he was in,” Warner said. “He came out and batted in the way Travis Head does. You see plenty of interviews from Trav saying that is Uzzy’s spot, and that if, when the time comes, they ask him to go up the order, he wouldn’t mind doing that.
“But then it’s on all of us to understand that it might not work, and Travis may have to go back down the order. And then they will have to look for another replacement. The selectors have a headache.”
Warner also backed Matt Renshaw as a long-term successor once Khawaja steps aside, while urging selectors to keep faith in Weatherald. “But moving forward, Renshaw could be one option. I think he’ll slide straight back in there. He’s had a taste of Test cricket,” Warner said.
Since Warner’s retirement in early 2024, Australia have used five different opening partners for Khawaja in 15 Tests, underlining the difficulty of finding stability at the top. At 38, Khawaja has given no indication of when he intends to retire, and Warner stressed that performance will ultimately decide his future.
“At the end of the day, you still have to score runs. You’ll deserve the dream farewell if you score runs and the selectors stick by you,” he said.
Australia lead the Ashes 2-0 after commanding wins in Perth and Brisbane. The third Test begins on December 17 at the Adelaide Oval, where they have an opportunity to clinch the series and retain the urn.