Ashes 2023: Khawaja ton, fifties by Travis Head, Alex Carey help Oz to 311/5

Opener Usman Khawaja hit his seventh Test century since being recalled by Australia to lead a solid effort on day two of the first Ashes Test against England at EdgbastonKhawajas brilliant unbeaten 126 his 15th career century but his first in Tests in England and his vital partnerships with Travis Head 50 and Alex Carey 52 not out helped Australia finish the day on 3115 trailing by 82 with five wickets remainingKhawajas record since returning in the Sydney Test against the same opponents back in January of 2022 has been phenomenalThe lefthander has hit tons in India and Pakistan in that time as well as reaching triple figures at home against South Africa and England But his record in English conditions had been poor before this outstanding knock in BirminghamKhawaja has now scored 1747 runs in the 31 innings since his return to the Australian fold averaging an extraordinary 6988 in that timeAnd an emotional reaction from Khawaja upon reaching his landmark spoke to how significant this moment is for the 36yearoldAustralia had resumed on 140 after England declared on the first day the second time England have made such an unusual move in 2023 under Ben Stokes captaincy And a slow opening half hour was soon blown up by a Stuart Broad double strikeA wafted drive with limited footwork from David Warner saw him inside edge the ball onto his stumps and Labuschagne fell victim to Broads recentlyhoned outswinger the very next ball with Jonny Bairstow holding on to a good catchAn attempted legside trap to Steve Smith on the hattrick ball didnt pay off and Smith and Khawaja steadily ate through the morning session with a partnership of 38 across 164 overs before Stokes had the key man trapped lbw for a 59ball 16Also Read England on top on Day 2 of Ashes opener Broad amp Stokes reign supremeAustralia went in at lunch 783 still 315 runs behind with England having used seven bowlers in the first session including experimental singleover spells from parttimers Harry Brook and Joe RootKhawaja shared three crucial partnerships 81 runs for the fourth wicket with Head 50 off 63 balls 8x4 1x6 72 for the fifth wicket with Cameron Green 38 and an unfinished stand of 91 with Carey 52 not out as they ended the day at 3115 still 82 runs adrift of Englands first innings score and in a great position to take the leadHead was very severe on Moeen Ali as he and Khawaja completed their fifties in the postlunch session But Stokes stuck by his plan of keeping the field up to Moeen and he reaped rewards for that faith when Head tried one shot too many and fell to the returning spinner for a 63ball 50And the 35yearold Moeen could have had a second wicket in the same over when a beautifullyflighted delivery spun past the charging Cameron Green only for Bairstow to miss the stumping opportunityKhawaja completed his century off 199 balls hitting 12 boundaries and two sixes His almost blemishfree 126 carried Australia to a position where they have five wickets in hand and just 82 runs to overtake the hosts They could have been in a worse situation and have to thank Khawaja Head and Carey besides their lucky stars for the position they find themselves inEngland can only blame themselves for not getting into a more formidable position having squandered several chances to pin their rivals to the canvas during the days second half While keeper Jonny Bairstow muffed a stumping off Cameron Green before he had even scored and dropped a catch from Alex Carey on 26 their costliest miss was the reprieve offered to Khawaja in the final hourStuart Broad claimed 249 riding on the early strikes while Moeen Ali brought out of retirement as a lastminute replacement claimed 2124 off 29 oversBrief scoresEngland 3938d lead Australia 3115 in 94 overs Usman Khawaja 126 not out Travis Head 50 Alex Carey 52 not out Stuart Broad 249 Moeen Ali 2124 by 82 runsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever