Usman Khawaja In Danger Of Missing 2nd AUS vs WI Test After Suffering Nasty Blow On His Jaw

Australia‘s thumping win over West Indies in the recently-concluded first Test against West Indies in Adelaide was overshadowed by a distressing incident involving their opener Usman Khawaja.

The left-handed batsman suffered a sickening blow on his chin and had to retire hurt in the second innings when Australia needed just 1 more run to win the game. The incident took place in the seventh over when Usman Khawaja was facing Shamar Joseph. On the second ball of the over, the southpaw took his eyes off the short ball that rose sharply.

The ball missed the grill and hit Usman Khawaja on his jaw. The Australia star looked in pain as he removed his helmet immediately before spitting blood. With the win all but confirmed, the opener did not take any risk and decided to retire hurt for 9 after consulting the physio.

A nasty moment as Usman Khawaja is hit on the chin by a Shamar Joseph short ball #AUSvWI pic.twitter.com/nF5nFqxgJJ

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 19, 2024

Usman Khawaja could miss the second Test:

The nasty blow has cast uncertainty on Usman Khawaja’s availability for the second Test against the West Indies. The 37-year-old passed a concussion test after the match, but was still sent for precautionary scans on his jaw and could miss the upcoming game, according to a report from Fox Sports.

“He seemed okay, just a little bit of a sore jaw. We’ll monitor it, but he seemed okay,” said Australia captain Pat Cummins.

According to Cricket Australia guidelines, if a player is diagnosed with a concussion, they are automatically ruled out of any match for seven days. The rule could prevent Usman Khawaja from playing the second Test in Brisbane which is scheduled to begin on January 25.

In case, the star opener is ruled out of the game, Matthew Renshaw will be in contention to open the innings alongside Steve Smith. The left-handed was named as the reserve batter for the first Test before being released to play for Brisbane Heat in the ongoing Big Bash League.

Last week, Australia’s chief selector George Bailey confirmed that Renshaw is being backed to become Australia’s next Test opener.

“Ultimately we are trying to pick our best six batters. At the moment as it stands, we see Matthew Renshaw as the next best,” Bailey said.

“That’s not to put an end date on any of those two players, I think Usman has publicly spoken about that he hasn’t put a finish date on his career. As long as he’s playing well and enjoying it he wants to keep playing for as long as he can,” he added.