Usman Khawaja discovered the worst attainable solution to get out within the first innings of his remaining Check match. The veteran Australian batsman missed a full toss on Day 3 of the fifth and remaining Ashes Check in entrance of his residence crowd on the Sydney Cricket Floor, departing for 17 through the second session.
Khawaja seemed visibly gutted however opted for a overview, hoping towards hope that the road of the ball may miss the stumps. Replays, nevertheless, steered that the supply was certainly happening to hit the timber, with no inside edge to save lots of the left-hander. Khawaja had toiled for 49 deliveries on the crease, stitching collectively a 41-run stand with Steve Smith. The pair steadied the ship following the dismissal of Travis Head, who had earlier lit up the SCG with a scintillating 163 off 166 balls.
Nevertheless, within the 84th over of the Australian innings, Khawaja was undone by an inswinging full toss. Brydon Carse, working with the second new ball, arrange the skilled batsman expertly with a few inswingers earlier than hanging him on the boot with the complete supply.
Nonetheless, Khawaja acquired a standing ovation from the SCG crowd, who warmly acknowledged his contribution to Australian cricket. It stays to be seen whether or not Australia will bat once more within the fifth Check, given the high-scoring first innings from each side.
Following Khawaja’s exit, stand-in captain Steve Smith continued to steer Australia’s push in direction of England’s first-innings whole of 384. Smith introduced up a well-paced half-century and had in-form wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey for firm as Australia moved previous 350 through the second session on Day 3.
Ashes 2025-26 fifth Check Day 3 Updates
The build-up to the fifth and remaining Check had largely centered round Khawaja’s farewell. The 39-year-old batsman, in a fiery press convention, introduced that he would retire from worldwide cricket after the Ashes remaining at his residence floor.
In an emotionally charged deal with on the eve of what he described as his remaining Check look, Khawaja delivered one of the vital confronting speeches of his professionCalm however resolute, he selected to not dwell on statistics or milestones, as an alternative utilizing the second to talk about what he alleged had been long-standing problems with racial discrimination inside Australian cricket circles,
Khawaja mirrored on his journey as a Muslim, Pakistani-born cricketer navigating a system that, in his phrases, typically made him really feel like an outsider. He alleged that refined biases—reasonably than overt hostility—formed choice debates, management alternatives, and the way in which gamers from various backgrounds had been perceived. In line with Khawaja, such experiences had been not often documented however deeply felt, creating an surroundings during which talking out typically appeared riskier than remaining silent.
The 39-year-old opener, particularly, recalled the chatter surrounding his place within the facet after he suffered a again spasm in the beginning of the Ashes sequence.
In the beginning of the present Ashes marketing campaign, Khawaja was dominated out of opening the batting within the first Check in Perth resulting from a again spasm—a minor however uncontrollable harm that may ordinarily appeal to routine media protection. As an alternative, sections of the media and a few former gamers sharply criticized him, questioning his dedication and preparation, and even drawing consideration to his participation in a recreation of golf previous to the match.
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