Usman Khawaja has climbed to the highest of the run-scoring charts for the Ashes collection after serving to give Australia the higher hand within the fifth Test at The Oval.
Australia went to lunch on day two on 2-115 in reply to England’s first-innings 283, after a sluggish morning session that featured 41 runs off the bat.
Marnus Labuschagne was the one man out, falling sufferer to an excellent one-handed diving catch by Joe Root at first slip on 9 after wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow did not transfer.
Labuschagne soaked up 82 balls for his runs, in one other signal of how completely different Australia have approached this Ashes collection to England.
Khawaja is probably the best proof of Australia’s readiness to do issues their very own approach, after going to lunch unbeaten on 47 and overtaking Zak Crawley as main run-scorer for the collection.
The 36-year-old had arrived in England with query marks over his capability to outlive within the circumstances after averaging 17.78 within the UK earlier than this collection.
Khawaja thought his profession was over when dropped in the course of the 2019 Ashes, and was additionally axed on his maiden Test journey to England in 2013.
But on this collection alone, Khawaja has now struck 414 runs at a mean of 51.75 to guide Australia’s cost for his or her first collection win in England in 22 years.
The left-hander has additionally turn out to be the primary Australian to face greater than 1000 balls in an Ashes collection this century, occupying the crease for 1095 to date.
That determine is sort of double that of Ben Stokes’ 559, who has confronted essentially the most for England.
Khawaja’s scores of 141 and 65 at Edgbaston arrange Australia’s 1-0 lead within the collection, whereas his second-innings 77 at Lord’s was an enormous a part of the vacationers going 2-0 up.
He had underwhelming returns at Headingley and Old Trafford as Australia’s lead was decreased to 2-1 however has returned to kind in London.
The Queenslander’s method on Friday helped Australia’s bid to grind England out of the Test, with Stokes and Moeen Ali each unable to bowl as a result of accidents.
Australia have already batted out 21 maiden overs at The Oval, 9 greater than England did at Headingley, Old Trafford and within the first innings of this match mixed.
Among the few highlights of the morning had been two back-to-back drives from Steve Smith (13 not out) off James Anderson earlier than lunch, when the English veteran went too full.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
