Cricket

'Uzi on fire' - Twitter erupts as Usman Khawaja gets closer to his first ever double hundred in Tests in third Test against SA

Australian opener Usman Khawaja surpassed his highest Test score and came close to a double hundred on Day 2 of third Test.

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Daniel S
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Usman Khawaja

Usman Khawaja (Source: Twitter)

Australia and South Africa are locking horns in the third and final Test of the series at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney. Australian captain Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bat first on the usual good batting track of Sydney. The hosts lost their opener, David Warner, early in the innings as he departed after scoring just 10. However, Warner’s opening partner Usman Khawaja took it upon himself to guide Australia to a mammoth total in the first innings.

After Warner’s wicket, Khawaja got involved in a 135-run stand with Marnus Labuschagne and stabilised the innings. He completed his half-century on the second session on Day 1. The Kangaroos lost their second wicket in the form of Marnus Labuschagne who scored a brilliant 79. Bad Light and Rain brought Day 1 to a premature end as Khawaja remained unbeaten on 54.

The southpaw took his innings ahead in the first session on Day 2 and continued his free-flowing innings. He brought up his 13th Test hundred and third consecutive ton at the SCG in the first session and marches towards the next milestone.

The 36-year-old also got a reprieve on the score of 119 as he was dropped by Anrich Nortje. He further got involved in a 209-run partnership with Steve Smith for the third wicket helping Australia cross 350. Smith also scored added another hundred to his tally and went past Don Bradman’s tally of 29 Test hundreds. He also became the fourth-highest run scorer for Australia in Test cricket surpassing Michael Clarke.

Khawaja brought up his highest Test score on Day 2

At the other end, Khawaja continued his marathon innings and brought up his 150 in the second session. He further surpassed his highest Test score of 174 in the third session. He was moving towards his first double hundred unbeaten on 195. However, the rain came into play and play had to be stopped on Day 2.

Khawaja had a dream 2022 returning to Test cricket after 2019 as he finished as the third-highest run scorer in the year and the highest by an opener. He scored 1080 runs in 20 innings at an average of 67.50 and a strike rate of 51.40 with four hundreds and five fifties to his name. He’s also the highest run scorer for Australia in the World Test Championship cycle 2021-23 with 1275 runs to his name at a stunning average of 79.68 scoring five hundreds.

Meanwhile, Twitter was abuzz with reactions on Khawaja’a another brilliant innings. Here are some of the Tweets:

 

AUS VS SA Australia vs South Africa 2022-23 Marnus Labuschagne Steve Smith Usman khawaja