Ashes candidate Renshaw backs Khawaja to retain opening slot for Australia

MELBOURNE: Matt Renshaw’s confidence is soaring amid a golden start to the Australian summer but the Queenslander is not holding his breath for an Ashes recall while Usman Khawaja remains in contention at the top of the order.

Left-handed opener Renshaw made a sparkling 112 for Queensland against Victoria in a day-night Sheffield Shield match at Brisbane’s Gabba over the weekend as Test selector Tony Dodemaide looked on.

With Australia to play England in the day-night second Test at the Gabba next week, Renshaw’s pink ball form is timely given Khawaja’s struggles with back spasms during the Ashes opener in Perth.

Renshaw has played 14 Tests for Australia and has mounted a strong case for selection with scores of 128, 29, 101 and 51 before his latest century.

However, the 29-year-old was not holding much hope of facing England if Queensland teammate Khawaja proves his fitness.

“He’s got an average over 40 in Test cricket, he’s played 85 games, he’s one of our best batters,” Renshaw told reporters at the Australian PGA Championship pro-am in Brisbane on Wednesday.

“He’s one of the best cricketers that Australia’s ever produced.”

Though Australia won the Perth Test by eight wickets in two days to take a 1-0 lead in the series, Khawaja’s back spasms disrupted the hosts, forcing a rejig to the batting order because he was off the field for too long for treatment during England’s innings.

Marnus Labuschagne opened in his stead in the first innings while Travis Head scored a match-winning 123 in the second innings as a makeshift opener.

Batting at number four, Khawaja was caught behind for two in the first innings and did not bat in the second.

Khawaja, who will turn 39 next month, has had a lean run with the bat and reports he played three rounds of golf in the leadup to the Perth Test were viewed dimly by pundits.

Cricket Australia defended Khawaja’s golfing but former Australia paceman Mitchell Johnson was unimpressed, saying that Khawaja needed to have better preparation “at (his) age.”

Khawaja mocked his critics by posting a picture of a golf course on his Instagram feed this week but he ended up pulling out of the pro-am at Royal Queensland on Wednesday, with Renshaw replacing him.

If Khawaja is unfit for the second Test starting on December 4, Renshaw could still miss out. Australia’s selectors may opt to retain Head as an opener with Jake Weatherald and pick another all-rounder like Beau Webster in the middle order.

Australia coach Andrew McDonald said on Monday Head might be deployed again as a tactical second innings opener depending on the match situation.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting said it was unlikely Khawaja would be dumped but having Head open regularly was worth considering.

“(Selectors) would have to be chatting around it,” he told Australian media.

“When you see what Travis did, it’s hard to argue against leaving him there.”