Australia opener Usman Khawaja’s recent social media post featuring a golf course has created a storm, as it intensified criticism of his back injury that hampered his performance in the recent first Ashes 2025-26 Test in Perth.
In both innings of Australia's eight-wicket victory, the 38-year-old opener did not bat at his customary position at the top of the order due to back spasms. He batted at no. 4 in the first innings and didn’t come out to bat in the second innings, with Travis Head starring with 123 in 83 balls.
When it was revealed that Khawaja had played golf three days in a row before the test, concerns about his preparedness intensified. He skipped an optional training session the day before the game to participate in a round associated with a pro-am appearance. He continued to deal with back spasms throughout the test.
The sequence of events surrounding his preparation and subsequent injury had already raised eyebrows in the cricket fraternity. His Instagram post on Monday evening turned the murmurs into a heated dispute.
Khawaja posted a series of photographs from the week, including a peaceful shot of a lakeside fairway. The caption read: "What a week! It had it all."
Pat Cummins replied with a golf-swing emoji, David Warner offered a long "Foreeeeeee," and former seamer Trent Copeland added laughing emojis.
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Former fast bowler Mitchell Johnson criticized both the optics and the decision, claiming that the preparation was unacceptable for a senior player during an Ashes series.
"Everyone has their way of preparing, and I am not against players using golf as a way to switch off. But you have to be professional too. From the outside, it does not look great. You could reasonably argue that the preparation contributed to the back spasms, and if that is the case, then that is not doing your job properly for Australia,” Johnson wrote in The Nightly.
Khawaja was supposed to play the Australian PGA pro-am on Wednesday, but his Test commitments kept him from doing so. It was then discovered that he withdrew from the event immediately following the Perth match. The timing of the incident is particularly uncomfortable as selectors assess their choices for the second Test.
