Usman Khawaja marked a remarkable Ashes return with a commanding fifty to power Australia to 194/5 at tea before missing on a well-deserved hundred in the third Test against England in Adelaide on Wednesday.
Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne's solid third wicket partnership stabilised Australia's first innings after a chaotic Wednesday morning to be 94/2 at lunch on day 1 in the third Ashes Test in Adelaide against England.
The duo has given Australia's innings momentum, allowing players like Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith to build on their strong starts. Head and Weatherald's opening stands in the ongoing Ashes against England have been 75 off 69 balls, 37 from 35 and 77 off 79 - but the fact remains their
England's aggressive "Bazball" method has faltered under Australian conditions, with the visitors' approach falling flat against an Australian lineup that was missing multiple key players like Pat Cummins, who makes a return in the third Test, Josh Hazlewood, who's ruled out of the series an
"I'm not a selector, but what I will say is the same way they (selectors) looked at this game, they looked at the game objectively and said what was the best way for us to win this game with all the information we have on pink-ball cricket," Labuschagne noted.
Labuschagne, who had nine and 51* while chasing 205 at Perth during the first Test, continued his fine run of form with a fluent 65 in 78 balls, with nine fours and a six, at a strike rate of over 83.
Australia seized firm control of the second Ashes Test on Day 2 at the Gabba. Half-centuries from opener Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne and captain Steve Smith guided Australia to 378/6 at the end of Day 2, gaining a 44-run lead over the visitors.
Another commanding session for Australia after their star batter Marnus Labuschagne scored a superb half-century that left the hosts 106 runs behind England's first innings total of 334 at the end of the second session on Day 2 of the second Ashes Test at the Gabba in Brisbane on Friday.
Australia has a massive psychological advantage heading into Brisbane, with a Travis Head hitting exhibition knocking out England clean in two days at Optus Stadium in Perth, as the left-hander's 83-ball 123 helped them chase down 205 runs in a low-scoring contest dominated by pacers.
Veteran opener Usman Khawaja has been ruled out of the day-night Ashes Test in Brisbane due to a back injury, once again leaving Australia to rethink their opening combination
While stand-in captain Pat Cummins continued to make steady progress from his own lower-back issue, Khawaja was the centre of attention in the adjacent nets, where team medical staff closely monitored a fitness test on Monday afternoon.
Australia chased down the 205-run target in 28.2 overs with captain Steve Smith hitting the winning runs. The hosts thrashed the Three Lions in the opening Test at Perth, taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.