Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg has defended Usman Khawaja saying that critics are "drawing a long bow" to suggest that his decision to play golf prior to the Test match impacted the back spasms that he suffered on the opening day of the first Ashes Test.

Khawaja, 38, has come under scrutiny after he suffered back spasms on Friday that forced him off the field late in England's short first innings on Friday. Khawaja's absence was ill-timed as England then collapsed while he was stretching to overcome the spasm and it left stand-in captain Steven Smith calling for Khawaja to come back onto the field.

Khawaja eventually did return to the field for the end of the innings but according to ICC rules had not returned for the equal amount of time he had been off and therefore was ineli

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