Time to move on? Australia balance rebuild with Ashes ambitions

Australia head to Adelaide in good spirits after a perfect start to the Ashes but selectors will have to deal with gnawing questions over the management of senior players.

Usman Khawaja missed the Gabba test after suffering back spasms in Perth and the opener is not guaranteed to return to the top of the order.

While his replacement Travis Head was unable to produce another knock to rival his match-winning century against England in Perth, his work with rookie opener Jake Weatherald has been a roaring success.

Following their 75-run debut as a partnership in the second innings in Perth, Head and Weatherald put on 77 runs at nearly six runs an over in the first innings at the Gabba to give the hosts a rollicking start in reply to England's 334.

They put on 37 in their second stand at the Gabba but still peeled off the runs at a furious pace as Australia mowed down 65 for victory late on day four.

Head's value as a middle-order dominator is without question but few home fans would complain if he continues at the top, leaving Khawaja's 85-test career in doubt as he closes in on his 39th birthday this month.

With Australia's test squad dominated by players on the wrong side of 30, the Head-Weatherald combination also offers selectors the perfect excuse to leave Khawaja out in the interests of regenerating the team.

"You've got to move on at some stage. It's just evolution," former Australia coach Darren Lehmann said on ABC radio.

Having been criticised for not making tough calls, Australia's selectors sprung a surprise by dropping Nathan Lyon for his first home test since 2012, leaving the 38-year-old spinner carrying the drinks at the Gabba and hugely upset.

Two Player of the Match performances from Australia's left-armer has helped the hosts to a 2-0 Ashes lead 👏

More on the Brisbane victory 📲 https://t.co/h66t6RMRrB pic.twitter.com/DoUnAvGkoD — ICC (@ICC) December 8, 2025

It generated a storm of criticism on day one of the test, though that died down quickly as replacement seamer Michael Neser took six wickets, including 5-42 in the second innings, in his first test in three years.

Lyon's omission was put down to the vagaries of the pink ball and the belief that he might not be as effective in the evening sessions as another seamer.

"It's certainly nothing against Nathan. He's a freak,” stand-in captain Steve Smith told reporters after the match.

READY TO GO

Australia may opt to continue with a four-prong pace attack at Adelaide and even add another part-time seamer in allrounder Beau Webster, who could replace batter Josh Inglis in the lower middle order.

But passing over Lyon's 562 test wickets for a red-ball test would be an even bigger call for selectors.

Either way, there will likely be at least one tweak to Australia's attack with regular captain Pat Cummins set to return at Adelaide Oval after months nursing a lower back issue.

The pace dynamo's addition would be a huge bonus for a team that holds the Ashes and needs only to draw the next test to retain the urn.

However, it will likely force selectors into another difficult decision of whether to jettison 35-year-old Neser after his Gabba heroics or drop Brendan Doggett, who at 31 may be a better long-term investment in the test squad's future.

Selectors may also weigh whether Mitchell Starc should be risked despite another player-of-the-match performance at the Gabba.

The 35-year-old left-armer appeared spent after his eight-wicket match haul and brilliant 77 with the bat in Brisbane, but asking him to take a rest would be a difficult conversation.

"Takes longer in the mornings (to get up) at this stage," Starc said of his post-match recovery.

"Doesn't take much to get ready to go."