Australian opener Usman Khawaja has become an integral part of the side for the last few years. The left-handed batter is known for his endurance and patience and for his ability to bat long hours. In an era where strike rates are spoken about highly Usman Khawaja makes batting look like poetry in motion.
Despite his huge talents, the Australian opener has been seen primarily as a test batter. His record in the longest format of the game speaks for itself. In 67 test matches played for his side, Usman Khawaja has scored 5135 runs with a best of 195 with 15 centuries and 25 half-centuries.
The 37-year-old has an average of 47.5 and is considered as one of the better batters in the red ball form with Dimuth Karunaratne and Rohit Sharma. In this article let us take a closer look at the top three best innings played by Usman Khawaja in test cricket.
1. 195 not out vs South Africa – Sydney 2023
The Australians had already sealed the series 2-0 before the final game in Sydney. Pat Cummins and his side batted first and scored 474 runs before declaring the innings. 195 of those runs came from the bat of Usman Khawaja who carried his bat. The left-handed batter stood tall for nearly 9 hours facing 368 balls and hit 19 fours and a six in his knock. Due to inclement weather and the team needing a win, Pat Cummins had to declare the innings denying Khawaja his first test double ton.
2. 180 vs India – Ahmedabad 2023
By the time Australia and India entered the Narendra Modi Stadium, the two teams knew that they were almost confirmed to meet in the WTC finals. On a flat pitch in Ahmedabad, Usman Khawaja was a thorn in the flesh for India for over 10 hours. The Australian batter scored 180 runs from 422 balls with 21 hits to the fence. His stoic approach and dour-dead bat tactics against Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja got him new fans in India.
3. 174 vs New Zealand – Brisbane -2015
Playing just his 10th test match in 4 years, Usman Khawaja finally found his footing at the Gabba in Brisbane. Batting at number 3, Usman Khawaja flayed the Kiwi attack to score his first test ton in front of his adopted home fans. The left-handed batter let out a huge roar on reaching the century mark. Usman Khawaja scored 174 runs from 239 balls in just over six hours with 16 fours and 2 sixes to play a key role in his side’s win.
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