Usman Khawaja ended his decade-long await a maiden Test hundred in England as he led an Australia restoration within the Ashes opener at Edgbaston on Saturday. Australia have been struggling at 67-3 after Stuart Broad struck twice in two balls to take away David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne earlier than England captain Ben Stokes captured the prize wicket of star batsman Steve Smith. But that they had recovered to 311-5 at stumps on the second day of this five-match collection, with opening batsman Khawaja 126 not out and wicketkeeper Alex Carey unbeaten on 52 in an unbroken stand of 91. That nonetheless left Australia 82 runs behind England’s first-innings 393-8 declared constructed on Joe Root‘s 118 not out.

Australia captain Pat Cummins insisted Thursday his recently-crowned World Test champions had no have to emulate England’s ultra-aggressive ‘Bazball’ model batting, saying: “Somewhere our batters might take 200 balls to get a hundred and that’s totally fine.”

His phrases have been underlined by Khawaja’s 199-ball hundred — his fifteenth in Tests however seventh in 18 matches since he was recalled final yr — which he accomplished with a late-cut 4 off Stokes.

Khawaja’s stubborn keep appeared to have ended when Broad bowled him for 112 within the first over with the brand new ball however replays revealed the veteran seamer had overstepped the crease for a marginal no-ball and Khawaja was reprieved.

Broad had earlier lowered Australia to 29-2 as he once more obtained the higher of Warner, whom he dismissed seven occasions through the drawn 2019 Ashes in England.

The left-hander had reached 9 on an overcast morning favouring England’s quicks when he chased a large ball from Broad and inside edged into his stumps.

And the roars of the group grew to become deafening subsequent ball when Labuschagne, the world’s top-ranked Test batsman, fell for a golden duck after edging a Broad outswinger that was brilliantly caught one-handed low down by diving wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow.

Smith survived the hat-trick supply however hardly ever appeared comfy in a 59-ball keep that did not characteristic a single boundary.

Stokes’s bowling health had been referred to as into query by a longstanding left knee harm, however the full of life all-rounder struck when he rapped Smith on the again foot with a nip-back ball.

The batsman’s assessment upheld South African umpire Marais Erasmus’s determination and Smith, whose twin centuries within the Ashes opener at Edgbaston 4 years in the past powered Australia to a 251-run win, was out for 16.

But because the ball obtained older and circumstances for batting eased, Khawaja and Travis Head checked England’s progress with a fourth-wicket stand of 81.

Both left-handers went after Moeen Ali, every hitting the recalled off-spinner for sixes on his Birmingham dwelling floor.

But Stokes saved Moeen, in for the injured Jack Leach, getting in what was the bowler’s first Test in almost two years since he ‘retired’ from all red-ball cricket.

His religion was rewarded when Head, contemporary from 100 in Australia’s WTC closing win over India at The Oval final week, fell for a sometimes brisk 50 off 63 balls after dragging a drive off Moeen to Zak Crawley at midwicket.

Australia’s 148-4 ought to have turn into 148-5 when Cameron Green, on a second-ball nought, charged at a sharply-turning Moeen supply just for Bairstow to overlook a transparent stumping alternative. Moeen ultimately bowled Green for 38 however solely after the all-rounder had placed on 72 with Khawaja.

Bairstow, who made a run-a-ball 78 on Friday, additionally dropped Alex Carey, on 26 off occasional spinner Root, having been chosen as England’s keeper forward of Ben Foakes — arguably a greater gloveman however not pretty much as good a batsman.

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