Based on the words of Australia’s head coach Andrew McDonald on Tuesday, Australia’s selectors have kept a couple of doors open for Usman Khawaja’s Ashes return, even as injury slammed all of them shut for Josh Hazlewood and Mark Wood.

A week removed from the noise about a possible forced retirement following his back trouble, Khawaja is set to be named in a squad of 15 for the third Test of the series, a red-ball affair at Adelaide Oval, and McDonald made it clear the left-hander may well celebrate his 39th birthday while playing his 86th match.

Usman Khawaja celebrates his second century in the SCG Test in 2022.Credit: AP

In electoral terms, Khawaja now has at least two pathways to the votes required for a Test recall before the end of this Ashes series.

The first is if McDonald and returning captain Pat Cummins reckon that, after three breakneck innings as an opener alongside Jake Weatherald, Travis Head should return to his customary middle-order spot.

When shielded from the perils of the new ball on his home ground, Head has a remarkably consistent record of destroying opposition attacks as they tire. In five Tests........

© The Sydney Morning Herald