EXCLUSIVE: Mark Taylor's emphatic 'no' to mooted Usman Khawaja revival as batting order shake-up floated

Former Australian captain Mark Taylor replied with an emphatic "no" to the potential of moving Usman Khawaja to Australia's middle order for the remaining Ashes Tests, with coach Andrew McDonald leaving the door ajar for the move.

Khawaja missed out at the Gabba with a back injury but there was speculation around whether he'd be picked at all after Travis Head's heroics in Perth.

The 38-year-old has played in multiple batting positions during his Test career but mainly as an opener or first drop. The one match where he batted five, Khawaja hit two centuries against England in 2022.

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In that match he replaced Head who had COVID-19 and made it impossible to drop him, with Australia moving him to the top.

"The assumption is that he can only open," McDonald told reporters on Tuesday.

"So I think he does have that flexibility. We like to think that all our batters have the flexibility to be able to perform anywhere in that order."

McDonald had also avoided assuring media that Head would stay at the top of the order ahead of the Adelaide Test.

"Will we continue to do that? We'll have to wait and see," he said.

The form of Head and Khawaja's predicament creates an intriguing situation for selectors with a potential 3-0 series scoreline there for the taking.

Wide World of Sports asked Taylor about the possibility of Khawaja moving into the middle order before McDonald's comments and it was a scenario he wasn't sold on.

"I don't see that, no, I think the one negative that we've got of what's happened over the last two Test matches is the fact that we've lost Travis from the middle order," he said.

"And that's probably the bigger talking point is would Travis be better at five rather than one or two? And that's a very debatable topic.

"I'm not sure I've got an answer for that at this stage but I don't think you want to replace Travis in the middle order with an opening batsman.

"You want to keep someone in that position who is going to continue to at least try to push the game forward as Travis did, and as I know Josh Inglis will, if or when he gets in that position."

Australia's tactic around Inglis was peculiar at the Gabba, putting him at No.7 with Alex Carey and Cameron Green all moving up the order.

Inglis is likely to be the man out if Khawaja returns.

Khawaja is yet to open the batting with Jake Weatherald due to his injury issues at Perth.

Weatherald has certainly looked comfortable batting with Head, his former domestic teammate, at the top of the order.

Marnus Labuschagne spoke after the second Test about how the momentum had been rubbing off on his batting, but conceded each game can be different.

Taylor believes it must be a consideration about how well Australia's innings has started recently.

"The worry that Australia can have if Usman is fit is, do you want to change that?," he said.

"That's the big question that the selectors have to answer, after the last Test match, I would find it very hard to change, because it is working and it's working well.

"One thing I said before this series started for Australia is that the best chance England have of knocking Australia over is to keep this narrative going around the problems we've had at the top of the order.

"Now two Test matches later we don't have a problem and if you make a change you have the potential of creating a problem you don't need."