Usman Khawaja demonstrates to England that there is another way by being calm, organized, and Ruthless: Usman Khawaja demonstrates to England that there is another way by being calm, organized, and ruthless: Khawaja is content to play Test cricket while the hosts are busy trying to preserve it.
Usman Khawaja looked to his partner Marnus Labuschagne as he hammered Stuart Broad’s full throw down the ground to reach 50 runs for the third time in four innings. He grudgingly raised his bat as though pleading with the fans to quiet down so he could finish his inning after shaking hands with Labushen without cracking a smile.
The Australian fans in the Mound Stand were all wearing canary yellow caps when the TV cameras cut to the away balcony. Travis Head, Michael di Venuto, George Bailey, Pat Cummins, Andrew McDonald, David Warner, and all of them sat quietly cheering.
Steven Smith was waiting to bat while watching from a chair in the front of the dressing area that was positioned somewhat back from the balcony. Smith joined in the clapping and then yawned fitfully. It was that kind of afternoon at Lord’s, a somnambulant return to the regular Test cricket rhythms following a series that was played in rapid succession.
Forget Travis Head’s half-cut, half-slap, and Joe Root’s reverse scoop. Ignore the six-yard swipe by Cummins and the cover drive by Zak Crawley. The pivotal moment of the first eight days of this Ashes series was far more subdued.
A dreary, cloudy Friday afternoon under the floodlights saw 34 of the 189 times it has been played, with Khawaja patiently and watchfully defending one of England’s three primary seamers—Broad, James Anderson, and Ollie Robinson.
In this series, Khawaja has faced 486 balls from the three seamers. He has left 24% of them and has defended 39% of them. At a strike rate of 35, he has amassed 173 runs off of them while being dismissed only once, when he attempted to force Robinson through the backward point in Birmingham.
Khawaja has been unbeaten overnight in half of the eight days of play in this series, with the fourth occurring on Friday at Lord’s. He resumes tomorrow on 58 not out with the chance to put the second Test beyond England’s reach after surviving 123 balls in the dim light.
In this series, Khawaja has faced 486 balls from the three seamers. He has left 24% of them and has defended 39% of them. At a strike rate of 35, he has amassed 173 runs off of them while being dismissed only once, when he attempted to force Robinson through a backward point in Birmingham.
Khawaja has been unbeaten overnight in half of the eight days of play in this series, with the fourth occurring on Friday at Lord’s. He resumes tomorrow on 58 not out with the chance to put the second Test beyond England’s reach after surviving 123 balls in the dim light.
Khawaja and David Warner’s opening pair was one of Australia’s few weaknesses going into this tour; nevertheless, they have combined 73 and 63 runs at Lord’s in what may have been the most difficult batting conditions either team has encountered thus far.
They’ve been outstanding, said Mitchell Starc. They’ve engaged in a lot of cooperative cricket. They both have a lengthy history of being outstanding openers, so there was a lot of focus before the series on how they wanted to approach their batting. Uzzie has had outstanding form over the past few years.
Over time, they’ve developed a pretty strong working relationship. It has been impressive to watch them conduct themselves there as they enter a major series like this and make some of the beginnings they have. Of course, the opening partnership is crucial, but everyone in our top order has contributed at various times.
Although Crawley and Ben Duckett, England’s first-round picks, have both displayed commendable performances, Khawaja has so far been the team’s deciding factor. At Edgbaston, he won Player of the Match, and on Saturday at Lord’s, he will have the chance to add to his 75 runs.
Over the past year, England has gotten concerned with attempting to salvage Test cricket; Khawaja is perfectly fine with simply playing it. He is not the kind of athlete who would care whether the Lord’s multitudes hurried back from their leisurely meals or skipped dessert on the Nursery Ground.
If Khawaja met the requirements, it is worth wondering if this England team would have room for him. Nasser Hussain questioned Ben Stokes earlier this year on the likelihood of young Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, or Michael Atherton breaking into England’s Test line-up.
Stokes responded, teasingly, “I’m not saying that’s not the way to play. “However, in this day and age and in this environment, that’s not something we’re looking for while I’m captain and Baz [Brendon McCullum] is coach. That is the reality. We don’t want that, though. Players who will immediately put pressure on the bowlers are what we’re looking for.
Khawaja has been the top batter on both sides despite not being one of those. On Saturday, he will return to defend against Anderson, Broad, and Robinson.
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