ASHES 2017-18

Khawaja - the forgotten player of the Ashes

by Tristan Lavalette • Last updated on

After navigating the hard yards, Khawaja reached his half-century with a gorgeous straight six off spinner Mooen Ali, skipping gracefully down the pitch. © Getty

Usman Khawaja, the Australian No.3, has been the forgotten player of the Ashes. The left-hander has had little impact, bar a couple of scratchy half-centuries in Adelaide and Perth. Despite his underwhelming series, there has been minimal pressure on Khawaja with most of the intensity hovering over struggling opener Cameron Bancroft, who is in major strife to hold his spot after a duck on day two.

Khawaja, a graceful and flowing batsman at his pomp, has escaped the wrath mainly due to Australia's dearth of batting talent. There just isn't anyone knocking on the door - a far cry from Australia's golden era where there was a long queue of batsmen patiently waiting for an opportunity.

Despite his position seemingly not feeling tenuous, Khawaja well knew going through an entire five-Test home series without a century against a middling attack was skating dangerously on thin ice. One never quite knows the thinking behind the scatterbrain national selectors and failure in Sydney could well have been disastrous for the 31-year-old Khawaja, who is at a delicate juncture of his stuttering career.

Unlike Bancroft, Khawaja almost certainly booked a ticket to the upcoming tour of South Africa after compiling an unbeaten 91 on day two of the fifth Test with the promise of more to come. After Bancroft's early dismissal, Khawaja had a golden opportunity to make a coveted big score on a flat pitch in response to England's underwhelming first innings of 346.

As per his form drought, Khawaja looked rusty with his leaden feet anchored to the crease but dug in to provide support for opener David Warner, who looked set to notch his fourth straight ton at the SCGbefore falling for 56. Normally fluent, Khawaja shed his flamboyancy and provided a stout bat to England's accurate bowling. Khawaja's international career has often come unglued due to a lack of patience out in the middle but the Queensland captain gritted things out before eventually finding his range.

After navigating the hard yards, Khawaja reached his half-century with a gorgeous straight six off spinner Mooen Ali, skipping gracefully down the pitch. His precise foot work was a welcome sight after Khawaja had basically been discarded from touring the subcontinent due to his struggles against spin, which reared at the start of the series against Moeen in Brisbane.

However, Khawaja played with more purpose against the two-pronged spin attack of Moeen and debutant Mason Crane, as his foot work looked assured. Khawaja scored all around the wicket in a well-rounded display underlining the right tempo at the Test level - something his unbeaten batting partner Steve Smith has well and truly mastered.

Australia's batting line-up has been desperate to find a regular No.3 - Smith has always preferred No.4 - and Khawaja ticks all the boxes but, frustratingly, has never quite materialised despite a solid home record. If Khawaja can go on with the business and notch a big score on day three, it will be the perfect platform ahead of a pivotal year for the talented southpaw who has the skillset to unlock Australia's batting riddle.

Pat Cummins, Australia's emerging star quick, said the team was delighted to see Khawaja back in the runs. "Great reception when he walked back in, all just really happy for him," Cummins told reporters on Friday (January 5). "We know how well he's been hitting them all summer, he just hasn't got that big score to get him away. Even before the Ashes, every time he goes back to play State cricket, he's always a class above.

"There was absolutely no worries about him, just great to see him get some runs on his old home ground," he added. "His play against the spin today was really great, he used his feet really well. I think I saw a reverse sweep there at one stage, so he's always evolving but he always looks like he knows his game really well."

Khawaja shared an unbeaten third-wicket partnership of 107 with Smith, who continues to look flawless and is effortlessly marching towards a fourth century of the series. The pair can put Australia into an almost impregnable position if their partnership blossoms further on day three.

"We're stoked he's on our team so we don't have to bowl at him," Cummins said of Smith. "He just goes out there and looks from ball one that he's been batting for three hours already. It's just incredible and I think he's been the difference between the two sides."

After another dominant day, Australia has their sights on ending a dominant Ashes with a triumph to cap off a successful campaign in style. "It's been a great feeling all summer," Cummins said. "It feels like we've got a job to do, we've got to win, but we want to enjoy ourselves along the way."

© Cricbuzz

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