Australian left-hander Usman Khawaja has had a remarkable turnaround after his return from the sidelines, first making twin centuries in the Ashes against England. The veteran left-hander has also had an excellent campaign against Pakistan in the ongoing tour, Australia’s first in more than two decades.
Khawaja has produced some excellent batting in the series, amassing 392 runs in four innings, also including a century in the first innings of the previous Test match. He scored a magnificent 160 as the Australians established their dominance over the intimidating Pakistan bowling attack, which featured the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali.
The 35-year-old impressed yet again, as he scored 91 on the first day of the ongoing third Test match at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Khawaja missed out on a much-deserved century, but the Aussie opener revealed that he did not feel all that well during his innings. He also disclosed that during the course of his excellent knock, he received some medication from the team doctor, who examined him during the breaks.
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After choosing to bat first, Australia were in a spot of bother as opener David Warner was dismissed cheaply, and No.3 mainstay Marnus Labuschagne got a two-ball duck, his second of the series, as Australia were left reeling on 8/2.
Khawaja and former captain and current vice-captain Steve Smith then capitalised on their fantastic form, adding 138 runs for the third wicket, as the Aussies looked to be in a commanding position at the end of their partnership.
Khawaja was closing in on a wonderful century before an ill-advised attempt at a leg-side flick resulted in a top-edge, as Babar Azam took a sharp catch in the slip cordon, ending his innings on 91 in 219 balls, nine short of a deserved ton. Smith also scored a well-constructed half-century before his eventual dismissal.
“I was a little bit sick. I got some medication from the doc in between breaks. I wasn’t feeling well at all. There were a lot of mind games in between”
Khawaja told the press after the day’s play.
“I just told myself, ‘just keep going, go as long as you can, just keep pushing through. And to push through for five hours – I felt absolutely horrible at the end of the day. I could have easily just gone harder and played a big shot and got out on 20 or 30. So for me to get 90 on the day with the heat, I’m actually really happy with it”
he added.
Khawaja also lavished praise on his former skipper Smith, calling him the “greatest batsman” he has seen in this era. It is interesting to note, however, that Smith, while being in pretty good form, has also not breached the three-figure mark in 14 months, a problem also plaguing Virat Kohli. Nevertheless, Khawaja refused to be worried, as he felt that Smith was continuing to deliver in accordance to the team’s expectations and that the century would come soon enough.
“I’m sure he’s frustrated in some respects. He is, in my opinion, the greatest batsman I’ve seen in my era, averaging 60 pretty much his whole Test career. I’m still in awe of how many runs he’s scored over a long period of time,”
he said.
The visitor’s ended the day’s play with their scorecard reading 232/5 at Stumps.
