Australia vs England: This was Khawaja’s first appearance in Test cricket since playing in the Ashes in England in 2019. His stunning comeback will make the job of the selectors very tough when middle order batter Travis Head returns.
Usman Khawaja put Australia on top in the fourth Ashes Test against England on Thursday, as he slammed his 9th Test century to make a stunning return to Test cricket. Khawaja applied himself on a track that was doing a bit to help Australia get past the 400-run mark and was involved in a good partnership with Steve Smith.
Former Australia middle-order batter Michael Hussey lauded Khawaja for his knock and said that it wasn’t an easy pitch to bat on at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
“We thought the selectors had a headache with Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland but they have got a whole bunch more of headaches now. Usma Khawaja batted brilliantly. It was not an easy pitch to bat on, there was some uneven bounce and some seam movement. But he looked so solid in his defence,” said Hussey on Cricbuzz.
“He had to work through some tough periods, he took some time to get to his fifty. But after that, he looked so assured at the crease and really started to blossom. He was particularly good off the back foot against the fast bowlers, hit a number of pull shots. He just looked like he never left, it was a magnificent century and I am sure it meant a lot to him,” Hussey added.
This was Khawaja’s first appearance in Test cricket since playing in the Ashes in England in 2019. His stunning comeback will make the job of the selectors very tough when middle order batter Travis Head returns.