Teammate backs Ashes hero to replace Khawaja

Cricket Australia has confirmed opening batter Usman Khawaja will not feature in the second Ashes Test as he continues to rehabilitate a back injury.

The 38-year-old was restricted to limited minutes in the first Test due to back spasms, which saw him unable to open the batting against England.

Cricket Australia confirmed he would not be replaced in the squad, with Travis Head the likely replacement at the top of the order and Beau Webster or Josh Inglis coming into the XI.

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A video posted to social media by ABC reporter Jessica Stewart showed Inglis training in the slips cordon late on Tuesday evening.

Australian teammate Scott Boland was in shock after learning of Khawaja's absence but admitted he expected Head would be the man to take his place as opener.

"I'm not sure about the middle order but I would probably expect Trav to open with the make-up of our squad," he said.

"It's hard because (Khawaja) has obviously put in a lot of work since the last game to try and get his body right. He hasn't come up (right) unfortunately.

"The best thing about our team over the past few years is that when someone has come out (of the squad) due to injury or form, someone else has always stood up.

"I think Trav did that last week. We've got huge depth in our squad so we can sort of replace anyone if we need to."

Meanwhile, England spinning-all rounder Will Jacks has been called up for the second Ashes Test following an almost three-year stint on the sidelines.

The late withdrawal of Mark Wood left a major question mark over the tourist's bowling group, whose flaws were exposed by Head in the second innings.

Wood was placed under an injury cloud earlier this week after he skipped England's first training session in Brisbane due to a knee injury. He was later seen wearing a brace.

Will Jacks (L) and Brydon Carse interact during an England nets session.

It may come as a surprise to many that Jacks was called in as his replacement, given he has only ever represented the team on two occasions in the Test format.

In his maiden match for England against Pakistan in 2022, he claimed a five-wicket haul.

Aside from his bowling capabilities, Jacks will also provide greater depth in the batting order.

His inclusion is the only change to the squad that lost to Australia in the first Test.

England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Jamie Smith (WK), Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer.

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