The Ashes: Calls grow for Travis Head to replace Usman Khawaja as Australia’s opener for Brisbane Test

Pressure is mounting on veteran opener Usman Khawaja to hold his place for the second Ashes Test after Travis Head’s heroics in Perth at the weekend.

Calls are growing for Head to be pushed up to open the batting on a more permanent basis after stunning the cricket world with a remarkable 69-ball century that hauled Australia to an unlikely victory inside two days at Optus Stadium.

It came with Khawaja ineligible to open the batting in either innings because he had spent too much time off the field battling back spasms.

It is expected Khawaja — who will turn 39 during the third match of the series — will be able to overcome the injury in time for the match starting December 4, despite being in severe pain after play on Saturday night.

The nature of back spasms mean he should be fine to play once the issue clears, however his disastrous first Test have left questions around his place in the side.

“Playing cricket with a back spasm is nigh on impossible and increasingly, the older you get the unfitter you get, the more you get them,” former Test opener Ed Cowan told the Grandstand Cricket Podcast.

“Looking forward, I think it just brings into question his fitness and his ability to play back-to-back days and five days of cricket and all of a sudden the person who took his spot got a hundred.

“I think that is going to be the story that people are talking about leading in to Brisbane, because he dropped a catch as well ... one hit him in the chest that he bobbled, he dropped one that was a bit of a soda and he just looks as if his eyes and his hands aren’t working as one.

Cowan also said Khawaja’s round of golf the day before the Test was also “a pretty bad look”.

“Playing golf the day before and then having any injury ... anything where people can join those dots and then tell a story around, is just a bad look,” he said.

Legendary former captain Ricky Ponting called for the shift to be made, but tipped selectors wouldn’t pull the trigger. He said the balance in Head’s game impressed him.

“I can’t see why (Head) can’t do it again,” he told Channel 7.

“It wasn’t just all bash and barge yesterday. The first 10 or 12 balls he faced he played like a proper opener. His defence looked good, he was in behind the ball, he left the ball well. As we know with Trav, you give him a bad ball, it’s gone.

“I would absolutely love to see it. As a fan. As a cricket fan, Australian cricket fan, I would love to see them do it and see if we can actually break England early.”

Champion opener Matthew Hayden argued there is “no way” Khawaja should come under fire ahead of the second Test. Batting great Michael Hussey also said he would prefer Head in the middle order.

But if selectors do move Head to the top and drop Khawaja, they would have a spot in the middle order to fill. One option would be to boost the bowling stocks with all-rounder Beau Webster, who is considered unlucky to have been dropped for the series opener, or recall West Australian Josh Inglis, who made 40 on Friday for a Cricket Australia XI and is the squads reserve batsman.

Mitch Marsh also looms large over the series. Selectors have refused to rule out recalling the veteran power-hitter as a wildcard option to fight England’s BazBall with their own fire.

Meanwhile, captain Pat Cummins will put forward a case in the 12 days between games for a sooner-than-expected recall from a stress injury in his back.

But there is a growing sense Josh Hazlewood could miss the remainder of the series with a hamstring injury.

The value of off-spinner Nathan Lyon could also be studied by the Australian camp before the day-night Test after he bowled just two hours in Perth. Pink-ball specialist Michael Neser is the reserve bowler in the squad.