Veteran Australian opener Usman Khawaja is at risk of missing the second Test against the West Indies after being hit in the head at Adelaide Oval on Friday. The Pat Cummins-led side registered a dominating 10-wicket victory over the Men in Maroon in the series opener that ended inside three days.
On day three of the series opener in Adelaide, the Australian opener received a severe punch to the jaw after ducking into a bouncer from West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph, with hosting needing one run to win the game. The Southpaw immediately removed his helmet and felt his upper jaw before spewing blood on the turf.
The 37-year-old retired hurt himself from the innings after conferring with a team medic on the field, leaving teammate Marnus Labuschagne to score the winning runs in the 1st Test. Khawaja passed a concussion test following the blow, but he was nonetheless sent for precautionary jaw examinations.
Speaking to the broadcasters after the game, Pat Cummins confirmed that Usman Khawaja looks fine after the initial examination and that the medical staff will continue to monitor him before the second test.
“He seemed okay, just a little bit of a sore jaw, We’ll monitor it, but he seemed okay,” Pat Cummins said.
According to Cricket Australia guidelines, if a player is diagnosed with a concussion, they are instantly ruled out of any match for seven days, preventing Khawaja from playing the second Test in Brisbane. If Khawaja does not recover in time for the series finale at the Gabba on Thursday, Matthew Renshaw may return to the Test squad.
Matt Renshaw, who will play for the Brisbane Heat in Friday’s Big Bash League qualifier against the Sydney Sixers has been chosen Australia’s reserve batter ahead of the Frank Worrell Trophy. The 27-year-old was freed from the squad to play in the Big Bash finals, but he is likely to return to the Australian team on Saturday.
Josh Hazlewood bowled an amazing spell of seam bowling as Australia defeated the West Indies Test at the Adelaide Oval on Friday. Australian pacer Hazlewood finished with 5-35 in the second innings to dismiss West Indies for 120 runs, after leading by 95 runs in the first innings. Pat Cummins-led side chased down the target without a wicket loss to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
