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'I hope I don't wake from this dream'

Usman Khawaja lived out his fantasy on the opening day at the Gabba, and this time the plaudits are deserved

Back in January 2011, Usman Khawaja was given a standing ovation by the SCG crowd after making 37 in his debut Test innings.

A fairly straightforward reason can be identified for the unusually generous applause; Australia were being humiliated by England at the time as they stumbled to a third innings defeat in the 2010-11 Ashes, and a public that had been spoiled by two decades of international dominance needed something – or someone – to feel good about.

Classy, confident and perhaps a touch convenient, Khawaja fit the bill.

But the left-hander's middling contribution earned more plaudits than it should have, and he promptly failed to deliver upon unreasonable expectations.

Not long after it had begun, his Baggy Green dream was – temporarily at least – over.

WATCH: Highlights of Khawaja's magnificent century

There was another false start, in which he was arguably less convincing than he was first time around, before he disappeared back into state cricket.

But a tick under five years since that original opportunity, Khawaja is finally pinching himself after living out a dream – quite literally – and producing a memorable first Test hundred on his adopted home turf in Brisbane.

"It was just elation, just the biggest amount of emotional relief," Khawaja said of the moment he cracked three figures courtesy of a beautifully timed pull shot that he sent screaming to the fine leg boundary.

"I've wanted to get a Test hundred for Australia my whole life, and there's times over the last three or four years where I've thought it might not happen.

"So when it did happen, it's just a build-up of a lot of emotions that came out, because it's what I've always dreamt of. I think I physically actually dreamt about it once, and then I woke up and it was a horrible day.

"So I'm glad it's actually come to fruition and I hope I don't wake up in the next five minutes."

Like all good number threes should, Khawaja capitalised on the advantage set by his openers and continued the momentum, finding his stride as the Black Caps bowlers lost theirs.

Where he'd been found out by the spin of England's Graeme Swann in his first incarnation as a Test player, he was savage on New Zealand offie Mark Craig, who strayed short and wide and gave the left-hander a smooth re-entry into international cricket.

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Khawaja's emotion comes out as he scores 100 // Getty

Before long, Khawaja had a fifty, from just 60 balls, and his innings was looking effortless as he and Warner combined for a century stand.

"The hard work was done at the top by Davey (Warner) and 'Burnsy' (Joe Burns)," he said. "They batted beautifully, and that allows us at No.3 and No.4 to come out and play a few more shots because the ball's a bit older, the bowlers are a bit tired.

"It was easy to play positive for that reason. I kept looking to score runs. And it makes it easier when you have Davey at the other end, it takes a bit of pressure off when he's going, you don't feel like you have to score very fast.

"So I kept looking to score runs, as you do when you're playing well, and fortunately I got a few in my area and I got off to a flyer which doesn't always happen, and I just kept the momentum going.

"I had my plan out there; I've played a lot at the Gabba before, it's like a second home to me.

"So I had a plan, and I stuck to it."

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Smith and Khawaja celebrate a job well done after day one // Getty

Now in his 10th Test, and after half a decade of a hopeful public awaiting him to realise his undeniable potential, Khawaja looks to have just announced himself as a legitimate Test batsman.

New Zealand will take comfort from the idiom 'one swallow does not a summer make', and it's one that Khawaja will doubtless heed as well, but for now, the 28-year-old is content to soak up the finest day of his cricket life.

"The first one is always the hardest," he said of his maiden ton. "So this is massive for me. I'm just very excited at the moment.

"I like to live in the now, so I'm just enjoying this at the moment."