Australian ace withdraws from star-studded event just days after Ashes injury chaos

Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has pulled out of the Australian PGA Championship Pro-Am tournament.

Khawaja was due to be involved in the action at Royal Queensland following the first Ashes Test, which the Aussies needed just two days to win.

However, the 38-year-old won’t be among the field on Wednesday having suffered back spams during the series opener, an injury which prompted chaos within Australia’s batting order in both innings.

What was the impact of Usman Khawaja’s injury on the first Ashes Test?

Despite being one of Australia’s two openers, Khawaja was forced to bat lower down the order due to too much time spent off the field during England’s innings as he sought treatment for his back issues.

Khawaja’s injury was shrouded in controversy given he skipped an optional training session to play 18 holes of golf the day before the Ashes began.

Despite the furore, Khawaja seemingly poked fun at his critics as he included a snap of a golf course in an Instagram post.

The 38-year-old’s decision to spend time on the fairways rather than in the nets so close to the first Test was also defended by Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg.

Cricket Australia CEO defends Usman Khawaja’s controversial call

“It’s not uncommon for a lot of them to play golf one day prior,” Greenberg told Australian radio station SEN.

“A lot of people talk about cricket being played between the ears, and so getting some time away from being in your hotel or training, I think is really important.

“I think Usman’s a very seasoned campaigner. He knows his body well, and he knows how to get himself prepared for cricket, and he’s done it over a long period of time.”

In Khawaja’s absence, Marnus Labuschagne opened for Australia in the first innings but mustered just nine runs.

The second innings was a much different story though as Travis Head – who batted fifth in the opening innings – blasted a match-winning 123 from the top of the order.

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What might Australia’s batting order look like without Khawaja?

Head’s century has since sparked plenty of debate about Khawaja’s position in the batting order.

Should Head be promoted to the top of the order, Tasmanian all-rounder Beau Webster is one option who could slot in the middle of the order.

So too is Josh Inglis, who was born in Yorkshire but has played three Tests for Australia and even boasts a century in the red ball format.

However, Australia coach Andrew McDonald was reluctant to confirm whether Khawaja, who scored just two runs in the first innings at fourth in the order, would retain his spot for the second Test in Brisbane, which gets underway on December 4.

“I’m not sure where he’s at, medically,” McDonald said.

“There was discussions around further investigation to whether [the back issue] was more serious than what we first anticipated.

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“We get to camp in six days time so it’s a long way out, a lot of information to gather between now and then.”

Which sports and entertainment stars are competing in the Australia PGA Championship Pro-Am?

Although Khawaja won’t participate in the Australia PGA Championship Pro-Am, his absence won’t take away from what has shaped up as a star-studded field.

American actor Michael Pena, who has starred in films like Ant-Man and the Wasp as well as The Martian, will compete as will Jon George, who is a member of Australian Grammy Award-winning electronic group Rufus du Sol.

The two entertainment figures will be joined by Super Bowl champion Jesse Williams, Australian cricketer Matt Renshaw as well as Australian rugby league stars Adam Reynolds and Kotoni Staggs among others.