Khawaja scores third straight county ton

Usman Khawaja has continued his stunning start to his County Championship stint with Glamorgan, posting his third century in as many matches.

Khawaja has become the first player ever to score centuries in his first three games for the county, stroking 103 from 140 balls on day two of Glamorgan’s Division Two clash against Northamptonshire in Cardiff.

His knock helped the hosts to 254 but it wasn’t enough to stop Northamptonshire taking a first-innings of 27. At stumps, the visitors had cruised to 0-169 in their second dig.

Khawaja batted with the Glamorgan tail to bring up his 25th first-class century. The Australian Test batsman was on 71 when the ninth wicket fell but added another 38 runs – 32 of those from his own bat – with No.11 Michael Hogan.

"It's always nice to score runs, I've been enjoying my cricket since I've been here in Cardiff and Glamorgan, so hopefully that'll keep happening but it would have been nicer with a few wickets,” Khawaja told BBC Sport Wales.

It comes after Khawaja stroked a dashing 143-ball 125 against Warwickshire while still suffering from lingering jet-leg on debut for Glamorgan having replaced fellow Australian Shaun Marsh.

Then, last Saturday, the left-hander brought up another century, this time against Derbyshire on a spinning Swansea wicket in a heartening sign for national selectors head of October’s two-Test series against Pakistan in the UAE.

Facing a spin barrage on a wearing pitch, the Queenslander took up the attack and unveiled a variety of sweeps, reverse-sweeps and paddles, eventually dismissed for 126 off 167 balls.

"There were a few ifs and buts whether I could get here in time (to play Championship matches) because I was waiting for a visa in India, I got here with not much time to spare before my first game, got that first hundred and it's nice it's flowed on from there and I'm having fun in the middle,” he said on Tuesday.

"I found it the toughest pitch we've played on yet, but their guys batted really well and made it look easy. It's a long way back so we're going to have to bowl well in the morning."

Khawaja replaced Shaun Marsh as an overseas player at Glamorgan after the West Australian, who also made a century in his first match for the county, was recalled to the ODI squad under new coach Justin Langer.

Last week, the batsman expressed his disappointment at missing out on selection for that one-day series, which Australia lost 5-0.

"I was extremely disappointed, in all honesty," Khawaja 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."

Khawaja is part of the Australia A squad for the upcoming one-day and four-day tour of India, which begins on August 17 in Vijayawada.