'Can't bat in England': Khawaja drops it like it's hot

Given he has been dropped seven times in his Test career, including on both of his previous Ashes tours, Usman Khawaja felt it was about time for him to drop something of his own.

There was an outpouring of emotion from Khawaja – who thought his international career was over four years ago after being axed in the UK – when he reached his first Test hundred on English soil on Saturday afternoon (UK time) and dramatically flung his bat skywards.

The 36-year-old, who went to stumps unbeaten on 126 at Edgbaston after batting for an entire day for the second time in three Tests, admitted pent-up emotion was behind his latest in a string of memorable century celebrations.

"I honestly don't know," said a smiling Khawaja, who brought his daughter Aisha to his post day-two press conference.

"I think it was a culmination of three Ashes tours to England and being dropped on two of them.

"I don't read the media, but when I’m getting sprayed in the nets and getting sprayed when I'm walking out there that I can't bat in England, I guess it was just a bit more emotional than normal.

"I feel like I'm saying this all the time, the same thing happened in India (when he scored a hundred in Ahmedabad).

"(It's) not that I have a point to prove, but it's nice to go out and score runs for Australia, just to show everyone the last 10 years haven't been a fluke."

Khawaja, on 112, was fortunate to survive being castled by Stuart Broad in the final session only for the television umpire to show the bowler had overstepped.

Coming into this match, the Australia had a Test average of 17.78 in England. He had lost his spot for the final match of the 2013 Ashes series and then again for the conclusion of the 2019 tour.

"I had conceded that Headingley was my last Test match," Khawaja, speaking about Australia's most recent Ashes series in the UK, told cricket.com.au before this series.

"I was very content, I was very grateful, I was very happy to never play a Test match again.

"You have to accept it and the reason I got back into the team was because I accepted it … I thought my career was over.

"I did not expect to be back here now in the Ashes, let alone opening in the Ashes."

Khawaja is now averaging nearly 70 with the bat since his Test comeback last year and has the highest batting average of any Test opener (68.72) to have played at least 20 innings.

His outburst upon reaching triple figures stood in stark contrast to his serene approach at the crease.

Opposition captain Ben Stokes' scattergun rotation of fielders and cycling through of various bowling strategies had unsettled several of Khawaja's top-order teammates on a lifeless pitch.

The Queenslander admitted he admired the tactics, and even though it appeared as though they had no bearing on his approach, he stressed it kept him on edge.

"My game is changing constantly while I’m out there," he said. "I’m looking at fields, changing the way I play, changing my set-up at the crease. It’s never as simple as doing the same thing over and over.

"The process is simple, because I’m doing it over and over again, but I’m not brain-dead out there.

"I have to watch what the field is doing, what they might try to do and play accordingly. My brain is always ticking when I’m out there, unless I’m off strike, maybe I switch off for a bit there."

As the rest of Australia's top four fell for a combined total of 27, Khawaja resumed the dominant form he has exhibited since his recall last year but which suffered a blip with scores of 0 and 13 in the World Test Championship final.

He saw off the England pacemen's attempts to find his edge from over the wicket, like India did twice at The Oval last week, but sweated on anything short to pull confidently and often in front of square.

The ultra-aggressive fields set for Moeen Ali, which had played on the mind of Travis Head to end Australia's second-most fruitful partnership (81 for the fourth wicket) did not faze Khawaja either.

Instead, he waited for the off-spinner to overpitch before clearing the mid-on or mid-off Stokes refused to drop back.

A dab behind point then sealed his 15th Test hundred and his seventh in 18 Tests since his recall at the SCG against England in January 2022.

"In my heart I probably know it’s going to be my last tour in England – unless I pull a Jimmy Anderson and play until I’m 41," said Khawaja, who hopes to whittle away the rest of England's 82-run lead with Alex Carey (52no) on Sunday.

2023 Qantas Ashes Tour of the UK

First Test: Friday June 16-Tuesday June 20, Edgbaston

Second Test: Wednesday June 28-Sunday July 2, Lord’s

Third Test: Thursday July 6-Monday July 10, Headingley

Fourth Test: Wednesday July 19-Sunday July 23, Old Trafford

Fifth Test: Thursday July 27-Monday 31, The Oval

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, David Warner

England squad: Ben Stokes (c), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood