12/16/25 07:56:00
Printable Page
12/16 19:55 CST Usman Khawaja's dramatic Ashes return boosts Australia in third
cricket test against England
Usman Khawaja's dramatic Ashes return boosts Australia in third cricket test
against England
ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) --- It was a dramatic Ashes return for Usman Khawaja,
helping Australia to 94-2 after the first session of the third cricket test
against England.
The veteran opening bat was rushed back into the lineup to replace Steve Smith
just before the toss of the coin Wednesday, went to the crease at the fall of
two quick wickets, survived a dropped catch on 5 and was unbeaten on 41 at the
interval.
He shared an unbroken 61-run third wicket stand with Marnus Labuschagne (19)
after the Australians lost two wickets in six deliveries.
Smith led Australia to eight-wicket wins in Perth and Brisbane in the absence
of regular skipper Pat Cummins. He hit the winning runs in Brisbane as
Australia took a 2-0 lead in the five-match series, leaving England needing a
victory in Adelaide to have any chance of reclaiming the Ashes.
Khawaja missed the second test with a back injury and, a day before his 39th
birthday, may have been considering test retirement after being initially
omitted from Australia's lineup.
His prospects changed very quickly when Smith was ruled out because of nausea
and dizziness.
After Cummins won the toss and elected to bat in his first test since
sustaining a back injury in July, Australia's new opening partnership of Travis
Head and Jake Weatherald was coasting at 33 without loss in the ninth over
against some fairly wayward bowling from Brydon Carse.
But Jofra Archer struck with the second ball of his fifth over, cramping
Weatherald (18) with a short ball at almost 148 kph (92 mph) and getting a top
edge to fly up for an easy caught behind.
Carse took a wicket on the first ball of the next over as Australia slumped to
33-2, with Head (10) reaching for a drive and brilliantly caught by Zak Crawley
low to the ground at short cover.
Khawaja weathered early pressure from Josh Tongue, who was playing his first
test match outside England, before driving at a ball that was moving away and
edging to second slip, where Harry Brook put down a catch at chest height in
the 16th over.
Khawaja added 36 runs, including six boundaries, after the reprieve. Australia
added 44 to the total in the seven overs to the break.
Players on both teams wore black armbands to honor the 15 people killed and
dozens injured in an antisemitic attack at Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach on
Sunday that targeted the Jewish community celebrating the start of Hannukah.
Police described the mass shooting as a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic
State.
Flags were flown at half-staff on Day 1 at the Adelaide Oval, where folk singer
John Williamson performed his fabled song "True Blue" in a pre-match program
that included a moment's silence, the Indigenous "Welcome to Country" and the
national anthems.
___
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
|
