Twin centurion Usman Khawaja joins elite membership of Steve Waugh, Matthew Hayden and Steve Smith

Usman Khawaja’s profession has come to full circle after scoring centuries in each the innings of an Ashes Test on the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.

Make that TWO!
Back-to-back centuries for Usman Khawaja – and he’s made it look very easy! 😎 #Ashes pic.twitter.com/cGcDCHLjnR
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 8, 2022
It was in Sydney, the place the Islamabad-born Khawaja grew up after his household moved to Australia when he was a baby, the place the then-24-year-old made his worldwide debut within the ultimate Test of the 2010-11 Ashes sequence.
The 35-year-old made a memorable return to Australia’s Test group by smashing centuries in each the innings of the continued fourth Test match at Sydney. The left-handed scored a watchful 137 within the first innings and adopted it up with an unbeaten 101 within the second innings.

The left-handed batter turned solely the sixth Australian batter to attain two centuries in an Ashes Test. He has joined the elite membership of Warren Bardsley (136 & 130, at Oval in 1909), Arthur Morris (122 & 124 not out at Adelaide in 1947), Steve Waugh (108 & 116 at Old Trafford in 1997), Matthew Hayden (197 & 103 at Gabba in 2002), and Steve Smith (144 & 142 at Edgebaston in 2019).

On his Test debut, precisely, 11 years in the past, Khawaja batted for 2 hours in his maiden Test innings on a gap day. He scored simply 37, however with the grace with which he made his runs in an in any other case dismal group show, the Australian followers have been satisfied that Ponting’s long-term successor for the No 3 spot had been discovered.

While Khawaja’s Test profession has not been as prolific as initially anticipated, nor did he ever actually make the No 3 place his personal, however the 44-Test veteran made a comeback after a two-year hiatus in a grand vogue.
Australia declared their second innings closed on 265 for six within the ultimate session, handing England an unlikely victory goal of 388.
Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green (74) added 179 runs for the fifth wicket.
The hosts, who’ve an unassailable 3-0 lead within the five-match sequence, made 416-8 declared of their first innings earlier than dismissing England for 294 earlier on Saturday.