Usman Khawaja has found support from his former opening partner David Warner to return to the top of the order for the third Ashes Test, which will be played in Adelaide.

What happens to Travis Head then? Warner believes Head, who opened with Jake Weatherald in Khawaja’s absence, would be best used in the No. 5 spot.

Khawaja, of course, will have to first pass a fitness test after missing the last game with back spasms.

“I think Uzzy comes back in, slides to the top, and Trav goes down,” Warner told reporters ahead of captaining Sydney Thunder in the BBL “That’s probably a worse result for England, Travis Head going back down the order.”

While Khawaja has been a reliable opener for Australia in Tests for quite some time now, Head has excelled at the No. 5 position, where he averages more than 40 and also has eight Test centuries.

But in the ongoing Ashes, Head has made quite an impact after being asked to open and that has led to debates on whether he should continue in that role even if Khawaja is declared fit to play. Australia coach Andrew McDonald has further raised the suspense by suggesting that Khawaja is capable enough to bat in the middle order as well.

Warner, however, did not rule out Head opening the Australian innings in Tests in the future.

“At the end of the day, Travis put his hand up to bat in the situation he was in,” Warner said. “He came out and batted in the way Travis Head does. You see plenty of interviews from Trav saying that is Uzzy’s spot, and if and when the time comes, they ask him to go up the order, he wouldn’t mind doing that.

“We didn’t have that aggressor down in the middle order. Australia has that now as well, and moving forward with whatever Uzzy decides to do, if he hangs them up, they can look that way.

“But then it’s on all of us to understand that potentially it might not work and Travis will have to go back down the order. And then they are going to have to look for another replacement. The selectors have a headache.”

Warner endorsed Matt Renshaw as a long-term option as an opener in the post-Khawaja times.

“We’ve got a lot of young talent there at the moment that’s coming through,” he said. “But what I will say to George Bailey and the selectors is to show faith in their 31-year-old, Jake Weatherald. I think experience is key as well.

“So credit to them if they’ve picked him. But moving forward, Renshaw could be one. I think he’ll slide straight back in there. He’s had a taste of Test cricket.”