Khawaja's Gabba Fitness Battle: Will Australia Risk Their Veteran Opener?

While stand-in captain Pat Cummins continued to make steady progress from his own lower-back issue, Khawaja was the centre of attention in the adjacent nets, where team medical staff closely monitored a fitness test on Monday afternoon.

The 38-year-old had suffered back spasms during the opening Test of the Ashes series against England, and today's session marked his first time batting after he was unable to come out in the fourth innings in Perth.

Khawaja began with light running drills on the Gabba outfield before facing throwdowns from assistant coach Michael Di Venuto for around half an hour with the pink ball. Though he produced some crisp pull shots on the uneven practice wickets, he occasionally appeared to be in discomfort in the net session. However, he moved reasonably well between deliveries and while bending to pick up balls, and even reacted sharply to evade a quick bouncer, a positive sign for his lower-back mobility.

Interestingly, Khawaja batted for ten minutes even after team doctor Leigh Golding seemingly signalled for him to wrap up the session, underlining his eagerness to prove his fitness.

Australia are unlikely to rush any decision regarding his availability. They will observe how he recovers from this session and may require him to train strongly at their main session on Tuesday and possibly again on Wednesday before making a final call.

With captain Steve Smith keeping a close watch, medical staff held discussions with head coach Andrew McDonald and selector George Bailey after Khawaja's running routines, which included a series of 40-metre sprints at increasing speeds along with some side-to-side movements.

Beau Webster and Josh Inglis are the backup batting options in Australia's 14-member squad and could be considered if Khawaja is either not passed fit or left out. Webster, who narrowly missed selection for the first Test, could return if Australia decide to adjust their batting order. Inglis is also in contention, having scored a century as an opener in a tour match against the England Lions in Perth last week.

Despite this, Khawaja's experience remains highly valued. He is Australia's leading Test run-scorer since his comeback four years ago and is the only player in the current squad to have featured in all three of the Gabba's previous pink-ball Tests.

Marnus Labuschagne praised Khawaja's outstanding Test form but did not comment on whether the veteran should be picked for the upcoming match.

"Usman's a high-quality player. You look at his record ... what he's done for Australian cricket, especially since he's come back, he's been super consistent, he's been really the rock of at the top there," Labuschagne told reporters, as quoted from cricket.com.au.

"There's been a lot of talk about how many opening partners he's had over his time," he added.

"But I'm not a selector and whatever happens is all up to people above my pay grade and what they think is the best way for us to win the game and win this series," he noted.

"It's just game by game, and you work out what's your best team and how does it best work for the game," he said.

Khawaja, who turns 39 later this month, has not yet confirmed when he plans to retire.

Labuschagne maintained that the team comes first when asked about the possibility of a send-off.

"The most important thing is the team comes first," he said.

"There are different times where different people may have done that in the past," Marnus added.

"He's been an amazing player - 85 tests, averaging 45 (43.56) for Australia all around the world. But, once again, it's not up to me," he noted.

"I don't think he needs advice. He's 38, he's been around the block a long time. He's got (43) first-class hundreds," he said.

"The way he's gone from a number three, four and then opened the batting, and the way he's done that, he's navigated some tricky scenarios... he's just been awesome," he praised.

Meanwhile, Cummins bowled two lively spells in the nets and has also batted over the past two days. However, Australia's regular captain has not been included in the squad for the Gabba Test, with a comeback in the third match in Adelaide appearing more realistic.

- ANI