Damien Fleming. (Photo by Ryan Pierse – CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images)
Former Australia fast bowler Damien Fleming feels that opener Usman Khawaja deserves a lot of credit for keeping Australia in the hunt in the first Test of the Ashes at Edgbaston in Birmingham. Notably, three of the top four in Australia’s batting order could not play to their potential in the game.
David Warner’s troubles in England continued as he got out for nine and 36 in the two innings, respectively while world No. 1 Marnus Labuschagne had a torrid time too, as he aggregated scores of 0 and 13. Steve Smith, on the other hand, could only manage 16 and six, respectively. Meanwhile, the 36-year-old Khawaja scored a brilliant 321-ball 141 in the first innings and will begin Day 5 on 34*.
“We wouldn’t be in this position without Usman Khawaja, who in his renaissance as a Test opener in the last 18 months has just methodically started to tick off every little doubt or criticism of his game and he has brought a lot of serenity in what has been a nervy Australian batting lineup,” said Fleming during an interaction on the SEN podcast ‘Whateley’.
“David Warner was so nervous in the first innings, I can’t remember the last time that was the case. Marnus Labuschagne was playing at deliveries he wouldn’t normally do. Steve Smith just never looked himself and Travis Head and Cameron Green were quite nervy when they started.”
‘It’s massive’ – Fleming gives his take on Broad dismissing Labuschagne, Smith
Australia were rollicking along in their chase of 281 as openers Warner and Khawaja got them to 61/0. However, Ollie Robinson dismissed Warner to open the floodgates.
The onus was on Labuschagne to show why he is considered one of the best Test batters at present, however, he was dismissed by a rampaging Stuart Broad, who later went on to take the wicket of Smith as well. Fleming described the wickets of the two right-handers as “massive”, explaining that the English pacers bowl well to left-handers while Moeen Ali is also there to spin the ball away from them.
“It’s massive because a lot of the analysis leading in was how our lefties are going to go compared to 2019. Is it just going to be the same – around the wicket, wobbled seam, cross-seam and they might want to get the ball to go straight on,” he said.
“Broad, Anderson and Robinson are very good against the left-handers. They have got Moeen Ali to spin it against left-handers. So I would have been backing either Labuschagne or Smith to score. I would have had them No. 1 and 2 to score the most runs for Australia in this Test match and they have been knocked over for less than 40.”