Time to move on? Australia balance rebuild with Ashes ambitions

MELBOURNE, Dec 8 : Australia head to Adelaide in good spirits after a perfect start to the Ashes but selectors will have to deal with gnawing questions over the management of senior players.

Usman Khawaja missed the Gabba test after suffering back spasms in Perth and the opener is not guaranteed to return to the top of the order.

While his replacement Travis Head was unable to produce another knock to rival his match-winning century against England in Perth, his work with rookie opener Jake Weatherald has been a roaring success.

Following their 75-run debut as a partnership in the second innings in Perth, Head and Weatherald put on 77 runs at nearly six runs an over in the first innings at the Gabba to give the hosts a rollicking start in reply to England's 334.

They put on 37 in their second stand at the Gabba but still peeled off the runs at a furious pace as Australia mowed down 65 for victory late on day four.

Head's value as a middle-order dominator is without question but few home fans would complain if he continues at the top, leaving Khawaja's 85-test career in doubt as he closes in on his 39th birthday this month.

With Australia's test squad dominated by players on the wrong side of 30, the Head-Weatherald combination also offers selectors the perfect excuse to leave Khawaja out in the interests of regenerating the team.

"You've got to move on at some stage. It's just evolution," former Australia coach Darren Lehmann said on ABC radio.

Having been criticised for not making tough calls, Australia's selectors sprung a surprise by dropping Nathan Lyon for his first home test since 2012, leaving the 38-year-old spinner carrying the drinks at the Gabba and hugely upset.

It generated a storm of criticism on day one of the