‘Most favourite match ever in my life’ – Usman Khawaja after Australia’s thrilling Ashes triumph at Edgbaston

Usman Khawaja. (Photo Source: GEOFF CADDICK/AFP via Getty Images)

Australia started the Ashes 2023 campaign on a high as they beat England by two wickets on a thrilling fifth day at Edgbaston on Tuesday, June 20. Coming into Day 5, Australia were 174 runs behind their target of 281 with seven wickets in hand. However, they were in a spot of bother on 227/8, needing 54 runs to win captain Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon at the crease. The duo put on a miraculous half-century stand and helped their team snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Usman Khawaja was awarded Player of the Match for his scintillating knocks of 141 and 65. It is his second Player of the Match award in the last three Ashes Tests and the opening batter was delighted with his performance as he called it the best-ever match of his life.

“SCG was special, it was unexpected. My career was over in my head. I’ve said it a million times but it was. Hard to beat that from an individual point of view but from a team point of view, and wins, this is by far my favourite match ever in my life,” Khawaja said after the match.

Notably, Khawaja made a comeback into the Test team after getting dropped midway through the 2019 Ashes. The southpaw announced his arrival in style as he scored sensational twin hundreds on his return during the fourth Test of Ashes 2021-22 in Sydney.

It looked like we’d lost the game probably with an hour to go: Khawaja

Khawaja further stated that the ebbs and flow of the game left him on the edge of his seat throughout the Test.

“The way it ebbed and flowed, the way they came out, the way we counterattacked, it looked like we’d lost the game probably with an hour to go and to come back and win, by far my favourite game of all time.”

Ever since his return to Test cricket, Khawaja has scored seven Test centuries in 32 innings, averaging 67.66 with 1827 runs to his name.

Meanwhile, after losing the first Test, England will look to make a comeback in the second game starting on June 28 at Lord’s, London.