Khawaja ignores Father Time to write down his ticket to Ashes farewell

Usman Khawaja’s dream of taking part in another Ashes sequence now shapes as a vivid actuality, anchoring Steve Smith’s continued return to greatness.

The contrasting veterans mixed for series-defining centuries in opposition to Sri Lanka on a gap day of domination by Australia to start the primary Check in Galle.

Khawaja was unbeaten on 147 when rain pressured an early stumps, cementing his profession at an age when Allan Border and Steve Waugh referred to as it quits. Smith’s unbeaten 104 has pushed his current stroll by cricket’s desert additional away with three a whole bunch in his final 4 Exams.

Khawaja was the inspiration for Australia’s 2/330 in 81.1 overs because the selectors rightly went horses for programs in spinning Sri Lanka, dropping Sam Konstas to raise a smoking Travis Head (57 from 40 balls).

For this tour it has left Konstas as an keen younger spectator, not a younger tyro respiration down the neck of an ageing, struggling statesman. However with a staff of 30 somethings his time will likely be quickly.

Khawaja was on the different finish when Smith charged out of the nervous 9999s from his first ball, turning into the fourth Australian to 10,000 as an aggressive Australia signalled how they wish to deal with the sub-continent in future.

Australia charged to 2-261 at tea from 60 overs, prompting Sri Lanka to play ugly within the ultimate session, with spinners bowling often exterior leg stump and wicket-keeper Kusal Mendis standing down the leg-side. It created solely a brief scoring hiatus.

Khawaja, 38, took extra innings, 33, to attain his sixteenth Check century than every other throughout a roller-coaster 14-year profession.

The lean run, which included his final two sequence averaging within the 20s, left the spectre of father time looming ever bigger over him. Having to fight the world’s greatest quick bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, throughout 5 Exams didn’t assist.

Free of fixed questioning by India’s surgical speedster, the laconic left hander was capable of play with growing freedom as Head carved up an opposition who desperately wished to bat first on a sluggish, flat pitch which is already exhibiting indicators of damage.

Australia nonetheless have 5 Exams earlier than subsequent summer season’s Ashes sequence, a second in opposition to Sri Lanka subsequent week, the World Check Championship ultimate in opposition to Sri Lanka at Lord’s in June, and three within the West Indies.

Historical past suggests Konstas will likely be again for Lord’s with Head slipping again down the order in what are often seaming situations, however flat and even turning West Indian pitches could create one other batting order rethink.

Whereas a lot can occur on this yr’s journey, given the religion the selectors have proven in Khawaja throughout his earlier 16 Exams it will take fairly the catastrophe for him to not be going through up in opposition to England in Perth throughout late November.

Usman Khawaja at Galle Worldwide Stadium. (Photograph by Robert Cianflone/Getty Photos)

By then he will likely be older than when Border and Steve Waugh final performed, and can flip 39 throughout the third Check in Adelaide. The final 39-year-old to play for Australia was leg-spinner Bob Holland in 1986. The final batsman was Bob Simpson as a 42-year-old in 1978 after popping out of retirement to captain Australia throughout the World Collection Cricket revolution.

Khawaja’s junior cricket membership mate David Warner retired from Check cricket at 37 after a topsy turvy previous few seasons however Khawaja claims he doesn’t have the identical miles on the clock.

Whereas Warner performed all three varieties throughout a jam-packed decade which additionally included the IPL, Khawaja has been a Check participant since his recall three years in the past after a two and a half-year hiatus.

Regardless of his current prolonged struggles, the hole between the primary and second half of his profession is critical, significantly given Khawaja has executed probably the most skilfully difficult job within the staff opening the batting throughout the previous three years.

Dropped throughout the 2019 Ashes tour after 44 Exams, Khawaja averaged 40.66 with eight a whole bunch. After strolling off on Wednesday when rain pressured an early end, Khawaja has averaged 50.79 in 34 Exams since his 2022 recall, additionally with eight centuries.

On these numbers he has deserved the alternatives offered to him throughout harder occasions.
However it’s tough to see him taking part in Check cricket previous the Ashes.

Khawaja doesn’t should retire. Mark Waugh didn’t. Having failed to attain a century in his final 17 innings, Waugh was dropped forward of the 2002-03 Ashes.

He’s the one certainly one of Australia’s high 15 run-scorers who didn’t make the choice to retire, though some jumped earlier than they have been pushed. Khawaja is sixteenth with 5782 runs.

It’s at all times good when a wonderful participant can have a farewell on their very own phrases in entrance of gracious followers slightly than a medical execution after they out of the blue disappear.

However the selectors are paid to be executioners. Getting older gamers are by no means too removed from feeling the hairs tingling on the again of their necks.

Khawaja can loosen up. His neck was coated in sweat from a joyously steamy day in Galle. He will likely be hoping for one more on Thursday.