Ed Cowan’s Test career may well be over after the 31-year-old was reportedly dropped in favour of young New South Welshman Usman Khawaja for the all important second Test of the Ashes series which starts tonight.
Newscorp media outlets including the Daily Telegraph and Sun Herald have reportedly broken the story concerning Cowan’s dropping, as well as that of bowler Mitchell Starc.
Cowan’s 18 previous Tests have yielded just 1001 runs at an average of 31.28 runs an innings, with his only century coming against South Africa last year.
His supposed replacement, 26-year-old Khawaja, has been on the fringes of the Australian side for the last few years, having last played a Test in 2012 against New Zealand.
Darren Lehmann and his selection panel have also chosen to make a change in the Australian bowling attack, selecting 33-year-old veteran paceman Ryan Harris ahead of left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc. Harris’ impressive Test record of 47 wickets in just 12 Tests at an average of just over 22 and ability to swing the ball both ways no doubt played a factor, although the Queenslander has been hampered by chronic knee problems over the last few years.
While Australia’s fast bowling stocks seem to be at something of an all time high, there is no telling yet to what depths the side’s batting may yet slip to. Perhaps Khawaja’s selection will help steady the ship in the struggling middle order but only time will tell.
Image: Getty
