Khawaja century edges Aussies ahead in 1st Ashes Test
Ashes Day 2: Edgbaston, Birmingham.
Ashes Day 2: Edgbaston, Birmingham.
Saturday 17th June 2023
England 393–8 declared
Australia 311–5 (trail by 82 runs)
At 6.30pm local time yesterday evening, 36 year old Australian opening batsman Usman Khawaja left the field at 4 not out with his opening partner David Warner, and after a 20 minute spell at the end of the day that was the very definition of a no-win situation. Warner and Khawaja simply had to survive a tricky few minutes at the end of the opening day of The Ashes and this they did without any alarms, major or minor.
Exactly 24 hours later and after 6 and a half hours of playing time on a batsman friendly wicket, Usman Khawaja left the Edgbaston field once more, this time in the company of his wicket-keeping batsman Alex Carey but once more undefeated, not out, and with a colossal 126 runs against his name on the scoreboard, and his team just 82 runs adrift of England on 1st innings. In an almost faultless display, the Pakistan born batsman was given an extraordinary cricketing “life” on 112 when Stuart Broad clean bowled him with a beautiful delivery that beat his defence emphatically, however, and in what typified today’s display from the hosts, Broad had overstepped, bowled an unforgivable no ball, Khawaja was reprieved, and still stands not out overnight and eager to kick on with a big score come tomorrow morning, and perhaps beyond.
Khawaja’s performance was the undoubted highlight of Day 2 for a visiting Australian team who threatened to sink at 148–4 following the dismissal of Travis Head after his run-a-ball half century and after the three highest rated batsmen in the world only contributed a combined 66 runs in the day’s early sessions. Head’s 50 accounted for the vast majority of these 66 runs with Marnus Labuschagne perishing for a first ball “golden duck” after Stuart Broad had grabbed the wicket once again of David Warner. A handful of runs later, and just 16 from the Jack-in-a-Box that is Steve Smith, he was as bemused as anyone, commentators and myself included, as he was adjudged LBW (Leg Before Wicket) to the bowling of England captain Ben Stokes and where the consensus seemed to lean toward Stokes’ delivery being too high and missing the stumps, the DRS review proved us all wrong, including a very frustrated, muttering and head shaking Steve Smith as he trudged disconsolately back to the Pavilion.
At 67–3 following Smith’s dismissal, England were draining away any possible scoring shots for an Australia who were treading water and just looking to stay in the contest. From the afternoon session onward, the visitors dominated through continual 50 run partnerships as first Travis Head, then Cameron Green and ultimately Alex Carey all accompanied the dogged determination of Khawaja to close the runs gap on 1st innings and, although they still trail by 82 runs overnight, I have them in the box seat and with the slight advantage going into Day 3 with Khawaja sitting pretty on 126 and Carey equally pretty and also not out on 52. Australia may be 82 runs behind on 1st innings but they have two established batsmen on impressive overnight totals and 5 1st innings wickets still to fall.
At “Stumps” on Day 2, it’s advantage Australia.
“Ashes to Ashes”
Out Now! Hot off the Press!medium.com
Yet the day started so well for an ebullient England team who thoroughly dominated and “won” the day’s morning session of play. Legendary opening bowlers Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad bowled tightly first up and barely gave away a run before Broad became David Warner’s nemesis once more as he dragged a loose shot into his own stumps for the addition of just 1 run to his overnight total of 8. Next ball, and after rallying the early morning Birmingham crowd to roar him in to bowl, Broad snagged a first ball edge from the bat of Marnus Labuschagne, Jonny Bairstow made a spectacular one-handed grab behind the stumps, and Australia were teetering and tottering on 29–2. Khawaja and Steve Smith steadied a rocking ship before a disbelieving Smith had to depart on the cusp of the Lunch Break with his team on 67–3 then 78–3 at the session break, and still 315 1st innings runs adrift.
Individual errors cost England today and these, together with a bowling attack that I struggle to see bowling out Australia twice to force a win without a huge 2nd innings score to fall back on, could come back to haunt them come Day 5 of this Test Match. Jonny Bairstow impressed as always during his run-a-ball innings of 78 yesterday, but he missed a simple stumping of Cameron Green when the Australian was on 0 (he’d score 38 before Moeen Ali brilliantly dismantled his “Castle” later) and the Yorkshire gloveman also dropped a sharp chance from the edge of the bat of Alex Carey when his fellow wicket-keeper was on 26. Carey has since doubled that 26 to remain 52 not out overnight and although not costly, not yet anyway, Usman Khawaja’s “life” when bowled by the no-ball bowling of Stuart Broad late in the day rather summed up England’s day of toil and trouble, of chances created, pressure exerted, the match advantage held.
But you simply can’t give the best team in world cricket second chances.
Tomorrow is another day and yet another of those first sessions of a Test Match day that is incredibly crucial and possibly key to the destiny of the result come Tuesday afternoon. If Khawaja and Carey “cash-in” on the extra cricketing “lives” bestowed upon them in the morning session, the deficit of 82 runs will disappear just before the Lunch Break into a tangible run advantage for their team in the afternoon session. To restore parity and arguably set up a one innings shoot out, England need to use the still relatively new ball in the morning and root out all 5 remaining Aussie wickets for less than 100 runs.
Australia’s day, and we may have a one innings, high scoring shoot-out on our hands.
See you tomorrow!
Thanks for reading. I’m penning a daily diary throughout The Ashes and as such, here’s my re-cap from Day 1 yesterday:
Root century but it’s honours even after Day 1 at Edgbaston
Ashes Day 1: Edgbaston, Birmingham.medium.com