Aussie cricket great Mitchell Johnson drops a brutal truth bomb on Usman Khawaja after his Ashes disaster

Former Aussie fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has blasted Usman Khawaja for playing 18 holes of golf the day before the first of his stunning absences from the batting line-up in the Perth Ashes Test.

The 38-year-old was slammed by fans, experts and greats of the game after he failed to join Jake Weatherald to open Australia's first innings on Friday because he had spent too long off the ground receiving treatment for back spasms.

It was then revealed that Khawaja had played 18 holes of golf on Thursday and skipped a non-compulsory team training run, adding fuel to the fire over his absence and seeing him branded 'selfish' by Aussie supporters.

The drama was repeated on Saturday when Khawaja couldn't open the batting because his back had played up again, forcing him from the ground and paving the way for Travis Head to produce a magnificent, match-turning century in his place.

Johnson lashed out at Khawaja for letting his teammates and country down in a fiery newspaper column.

'I'm not against players using golf as a way to switch off. But you've got to be professional too,' he wrote.

'Khawaja reportedly played golf in Perth for three days in a row leading into day one of the first Test.

'If I'd done that the day before a Test match, well, I couldn't imagine playing 18 holes of golf the day before a Test match.

'I reckon Khawaja's teammates who don't spend as much time on the golf course might not be sympathetic either.

'You could reasonably argue that the preparation contributed to the back spasms, and if that's the case, that's not doing your job for Australia.'

Another highly regarded former Aussie paceman, Jason Gillespie, believes Khawaja could lose his spot to Head, who plundered 123 runs from just 83 balls.

'There's every chance it could happen and the Australian selectors might pivot,' Gillespie said.

'I think we've got to take some initiative there and that [promoting Head up the order] might be the answer.'

The backlash against Khawaja was swift, with Aussie fans venting on social media.

'Usman Khawaja just cemented himself as the most selfish cricketer in the game,' one wrote on X.

'Better rest him for the remainder of the series, I reckon,' added another.

'In other words, he's not 100% fit and we were screwed because of it. It's time to go please Ussie. You've done well coming back but we need youth and someone who will score more than 10 runs a session,' commented a third.

'If it took fielding in the slips for a couple of hours to send his back into spasms, he's done. Retire now. I can only imagine the turmoil it put in Weatherald's mind in his first Test innings. Time to go…NOW,' another wrote.

However, the veteran found an ally in former Test wicketkeeper Brad Haddin.

'The future of the [batting] order doesn't change,' Haddin told Nine.

'He'll come back in for the next Test match ... we witnessed something special [from Head], it's not about Usman getting injured or having a back spasm - he will be back for the second Test, no doubt about that.'

Johnson is no stranger to delivering unvarnished opinions about Aussie cricket stars.

He was sacked by Cricket Australia in December 2023 over an extraordinary attack on David Warner, in which he declared his former teammate didn't deserve a hero's farewell at the SCG because of his role in the Sandpapergate scandal.

In June this year Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon hit back after Johnson accused them of putting their careers ahead of what is best for the Test team.