Opener Usman Khawaja hit his first Test hundred in England as Australia rebuild from some early losses to reach 311 for five at stumps on Day II of the opening Ashes Test at Edgbaston. The hosts were still ahead by 82 runs.
Khawaja was batting on 126 along with Alex Carey on 52.
Khawaja cut captain Ben Stokes to the third-man boundary and raised his arms in the air after scoring what has been an outstanding century. The 36-year-old has been exceptional square of the wicket, taken on the spin of Moeen Ali, and picked up length superbly — particularly when England employed the short ball ploy.
Travis Head after completing his half-century at Edgbaston on Saturday. Getty Images
Carey has continued the excellent start to his tour with the bat after the two important innings he played in the World Test Championship final. England may yet regret their missed chances on Saturday, the two by Jonny Bairstow — the stumping offered by Cameron Green second ball and an edge from Carey — and Stuart Broad’s no-ball.
The veteran pacer clean bowled Khawaja with his second delivery with the second new ball but the TV umpire spotted that he had over-stepped.
Khawaja now has hundreds in Australia, India and England in 2023 — an incredible achievement for a 36-year-old whose performances away from home have regularly come under scrutiny during a long and winding career.
Khawaja has been very solid. It’s been 10 years since he first toured England for Test cricket. It’s been an innings to resemble some of those he has played on the subcontinent in the last two years — on a surface more akin to those than what may be termed a traditional English pitch.
Stuart Broad celebrates after dismissing David Warner (right) on Day II of the first Ashes Test on Saturday. The pacer dismissed Marnus Labuschagne for a golden duck on his next ball. AP/PTI
Helped by Travis Head who scored 50, Khawaja kept England at bay, leaving the first Test tantalisingly poised on the second day.
England tried a period of short-pitched bowling to both Head and Khawaja — something Australia didn’t do on Day I — and though there were a few uneasy moments the pitch largely gave time to adjust.
Stokes had secured the prized wicket of talisman Steve Smith to leave Australia struggling on 78/3 at lunch, following Stuart Broad’s two wickets in two balls to remove David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne.
Saturday’s overcast conditions early on at Edgbaston favoured swing bowlers, movement that opener Warner could not handle as he played on to his stumps having scored nine — falling to Broad for the 15th time in his Test career.
Broad swung another into Labuschagne the very next ball, catching the edge of the top-ranked Test cricketer’s bat, with the catch brilliantly taken by Jonny Bairstow behind the stumps. It was Labuschagne’s first-ever golden duck in international Test cricket.
Smith then fell relatively cheaply before lunch to Stokes for 16.
But Head released the shackles for Australia after the break as conditions stayed more sunny and favourable for batting, targeting Moeen’s bowling especially. He failed to get hold of one on-side drive, however, and Zak Crawley took a fine catch to end his innings.
Green looked shaky but eased into the match and stayed alongside Khawaja, who had already amassed his highest-ever score in England.
Green could have fallen second-ball to Moeen, only for Bairstow to fumble the stumping chance. But he eventually fell to his 68th after scoring 38, beaten by an absolute jaffa which drifted away slightly, then spun in sharply past the inside edge of the bat.
Written with Reuters inputs
