Test No.3 continues red-hot start to Glamorgan stint with ton off 131 balls, all but 10 of which were bowled by spinners
Khawaja takes new turn in rapid county ton
The seaside St Helen's Cricket Ground in Wales is a long way from the dusty tracks Australia will desperately need Usman Khawaja to conquer later this year.
But the left-hander's century there on Saturday, his second in as many matches for his new side Glamorgan, on a spinning Swansea wicket will be heartening nonetheless for national selectors with a two-Test series against Pakistan in the UAE on the horizon.
Khawaja continued his red-hot start to his County Championship stint, backing up his debut hundred last week with another rollicking knock in his side’s second innings against Derbyshire.
1⃣0⃣0⃣// On the same ball Khawaja brings up his century and a 2⃣0⃣0⃣ partnership with Kiran Carlson. He is the first Glamorgan batsman to score a century in his first two @CountyChamp games for the county. Glamorgan 251/3 #GLAvDER #GoGlam pic.twitter.com/Rb23OjKHiT%E2%80%94 Glamorgan Cricket 🏏 (@GlamCricket) June 23, 2018
Facing a spin barrage on a wearing pitch, the Queenslander took up the attack and unveiled a variety of sweeps, reverse-sweeps and paddles across the third and fourth days of the Division Two match.
Having raced to 79 off 108 at stumps on day three, Khawaja only needed another 23 balls to bring up his 24th first-class century on the game’s final day to become the first Glamorgan batsman to post centuries in his first two matches.
Of the 131 balls it took him to reach triple-figures, all but 10 were bowled by spinners.
Khawaja was eventually dismissed for 126 off 167 balls following a 289-run fourth-wicket partnership with Kiran Carlson (152 off 182), with Glamorgan declaring on 7-403 to leave Derbyshire 325 to win.
2⃣5⃣0⃣ PARTNERSHIP// It's been another outstanding display from both Carlson 134* & Khawaja 111* this morning as they now bring up their 250 partnership in the sun at St Helen's. Glamorgan 298/3 leading by 219 runs #GLAvDER #GoGlam pic.twitter.com/eC8nXq47XZ%E2%80%94 Glamorgan Cricket 🏏 (@GlamCricket) June 23, 2018
It comes after Khawaja stroked a dashing 143-ball 125 while still suffering from lingering jet-leg on debut for Glamorgan having replaced fellow Australian Shaun Marsh.
Khawaja's composure against spin bowling, a perceived vulnerability of his game, against Derbyshire will be especially encouraging for Australia’s selectors.
The left-hander averages 14.62 from nine innings in Asia and has been dropped the last two times he's played Tests on the subcontinent (in Sri Lanka in 2016 and then again last year in Bangladesh).
His struggles there stand in stark contrast to his record at home, where he averages nearly 60 having recently struck a majestic 171 in the final Ashes Test against England in January.
Khawaja will have the chance to reacquaint himself with the turning tracks of the subcontinent when he heads to India for an Australia A tour in August.
Aside from fine-tuning his approach against the red ball, Khawaja will also have an opportunity to press his case with the white ball as Australia A will play four 50-over games against India A and South Africa A before the top two sides play a final, with all matches to be played in Vijayawada .
Khawaja recently expressed his disappointment at missing out on selection for the current ODI series, which Australia trail England in 0-4.
"I was extremely disappointed, in all honesty," Khawja told RSN. "I’ve had a lot of chats to the selectors and a couple with ‘JL’ (Langer) about it. I was a bit disappointed but some things you can’t control.
"Hopefully I’ll get a chance over the next year. I scored a lot of runs in one-day cricket for the last five or six years, especially in domestic cricket.
"Even when I’ve been away and played in a couple of (Australia A) tours. I’m not sure there’s a lot more I can do other than just keep trying to score runs and hopefully I get a chance.
"That’s part of cricket, selections. You’ve got to figure out a way to move past and try to score runs."