Centuries at the SCG showcased both sides of Khawaja’s game and could re-establish him as a Test regular beyond these AshesIf you’re going to make a statement, you might as well make it emphatic. That has been the attitude reflected in Usman Khawaja’s feats in Sydney at the fourth Ashes Test as he followed his first-innings 137 with an unbeaten 101. He joined the very rare club to have made twin centuries in a Test, alongside 16 other Australians, and in scoring his 10th Test ton he levelled up with Lindsay Hassett, Bob Simpson and Simon Katich.The first century was the work of an opener, even if in this match he was required to bat at No 5. Khawaja left...
Injury and illness left Australia with a job that needed to be done at No 5 – Usman Khawaja did it immaculatelyThere was a moment early in the second day at the Sydney Cricket Ground when Steve Smith looked nailed on for a hundred. Sure, it was a dot ball, and sure, he was on seven at the time. But there was something about the way he stepped into a straight drive back at Stuart Broad, the feet moving perfectly, the timing crisp with no attempt at power, the line so straight that the bowler bent to scoop up the ball. At the ground where Smith made three international centuries in the previous Australian summer, he looked like Smith looks...
At last there is a contest in this Ashes series, while action in New Zealand and South Africa shows the red-ball duel is in rude health: take note, ECBAnd here, as they used to say on TV game shows – as that tumble dryer, that golden fondue set, drifts off down the conveyor belt – is the Test cricket you might have had.Four distinct but interconnected things happened overnight as England and Australia played out the opening rain-addled day of the fourth Ashes Test in Sydney. First, England and Australia played out the opening rain‑addled day at the SCG, where Joe Root’s team produced their most sustained performance of the southern summer. Continue reading...
Dramatic rivalry should have been rekindled in Brisbane though England’s batting is so bad it would not have changed the resultWhen Stuart Broad took David Warner’s edge on the first day of the Sydney Test, into the slip cordon to be safely clasped, it felt like something clicked into place. This was the scent of a familiar dish, or YouTubing a favourite scene from a movie. The reassurance of the familiar, and the rightness of something that should be just so.At the same time, there was the unmistakable sense that thousands of people across the world were shouting at their television sets that they had told you so, or told someone so, and why had nobody listened? Continue reading...
Shorter series and the introduction of a multi-format contest would help prevent the increasing frequency of dead rubbers between mismatched sides which tarnish cricket’s showpieceEven with the Ashes gone, the inquests under way and his future under the spotlight, Joe Root was talking a good game ahead of the Sydney Test. “For us it’s a must-win game,” he said. “I know the series isn’t winnable, but it’s a good opportunity.” On the Australian side, meanwhile, Steve Smith was urging his team to turn the screw by making it 4-0. “We’ve wrapped up the series which is great, and we want to continue winning,” he said. “That’s important.”So far so routine, although in the spirit of transparency it seems fair to...