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Usman Khawaja wills himself back to form

5th January, 2018
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Usman Khawaja may have finally got over that hump. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
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5th January, 2018
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If Australia could have wished for anything other than a win to come from the fifth Ashes match, it surely would have been a return to form for Usman Khawaja. They received just that yesterday, as the number three played his best Test innings of the past 12 months.

Khawaja came to the SCG under pressure, having laboured in this series and averaged just 20 with the bat over his last five Tests.

This summer Khawaja looked an entirely different batsman to the one who dominated the previous two summers. Across those home seasons there had been nothing
thrown at him which he couldn’t handle. Pace, seam, swing, spin – all of it was mastered by the elegant left-hander.

He stood firm as Australia’s batting line-up imploded against South Africa last summer. At Hobart he quelled the rampant Proteas quicks to make 64 in his side’s second innings return of 161. Khawaja bettered that in the next Test, compiling a match-winning 145 in the first innings of the day-night match at Adelaide after being asked to play as a makeshift opener.

Khawaja finished that Australian season with a Test average nudging 50. That wasn’t enough, though, for him to be picked for the subsequent tour of India, with the selectors clearly spooked by his poor record against spin in Asia.

He was afforded one Test later in the year, in Bangladesh, then dumped after making scores of one and one at Dhaka.

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It always seemed likely he would start in Australia’s Ashes line-up given his supreme record on home pitches, yet there was still plenty of pre-series speculation about his selection.

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Perhaps all of these events poisoned Khawaja’s mind, or perhaps he’s just been out of form. Whatever the cause, his batting was painful to watch at times over the first three Tests. That is quite a statement because, at his best, Khawaja is one of the world’s most aesthetically-pleasing strokemakers.

Yesterday was not a full return to such majesty. It was not a masterpiece. Instead it was an imperfect innings of great value.

Whereas Khawaja’s best knocks have flowed like water, yesterday’s innings was far more stilted. He had to will himself to 50, finding it hard to locate sweet timing or easy rhythm.

From then on the game began to open up for Khawaja and we witnessed vignettes of his imperious best. No doubt he would have loved to reach his ton before stumps rather than heading to bed last night on 91 not out. But what matters more than that milestone is that he may just have got over the hump, whether it was mental or technical.

The timing of his resurgence could scarcely be better. In just over a month Australia will fly to South Africa for an extremely difficult Test series and, between now and then, Khawaja will at best get to play one more first-class match. This SCG Test was a gilded opportunity for him to build some confidence and momentum ahead of that blockbuster clash.

Australia needed Khawaja to regain touch as they are a vastly superior side when he is making runs. And he just happens to own a fine Test record against the Proteas.

Khawaja and his teammates will hope that this innings is a launching pad for him to continue that run of form against the South Africans.

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