Usman Khawaja’s century was a triumph of stylish orthodoxy

Australia’s best-performed batter of the past two years keeps finding new worlds to conquer.

Usman Khawaja celebrates his century Picture: Getty Images

Usman Khawaja keeps finding new worlds to conquer. Some are well and truly familiar. Saturday at Edgbaston was his 15th Test innings in England spread over a decade. He had averaged less than 20, with a solitary half-century. In some respects his undefeated 126, a seventh hundred since returning to the colours, was less a surprise than the previous underperformance.

Khawaja has never at any stage in his career looked other than a player of quality. But his first eight years in international cricket were so uneven as to make his last 18 months as Australia’s most reliable batter an exercise in redress.

Coolly, composedly, he has gone back, ironing the kinks. Couldn’t bat in Sri Lanka? Forget about that one. A sitting duck in India? Check that off. Gifted but lazy? A lazy cricketer does not bat more than ten hours in sapping heat as Khawaja did in Ahmedabad three months ago.

On Saturday, Australia owed him everything.

Usman Khawaja acknowledges the applause of the Edgbaston crowd at stumps on day two of the first Ashes Test Picture: Getty Images

With a touch here, a chip there, and orthodoxy everywhere, he controlled the innings’ tempo like a silky midfielder. In defence he quickly drops a hand from the bat as though to cushion the blow. Even his cross-bat shots have a sense of violence contained. He moves so minimally pigeons could roost on him.

The only departure from this doctrine of minimalism on Saturday was Khawaja’s celebration of his milestone, where he tossed his bat in the air, danced a little hornpipe of glee, and failed only to pull his jumper over his head …. then, a moment later, was leaning on his bat, serenity restored.

This was a fine hundred, for it is hardly a click-and-collect surface: the batter must make the pace, the length ball can only be driven with caution, the short ball is inclined to trampoline and even reach the keeper on the second bounce; such is the square’s dustiness, the crease lines are in constant danger of disappearance. Australia might have been slow by comparison with England, but 3.3 an over was satisfactory headway, especially after they were 24 balls before opening their scoring.

This was a deep breath after the previous day’s panting, although there was quickly another gasp of action. David Warner, caught between the priority of survival and the desire to assert, dragged Broad on. Then Marnus Labuschagne, who has made the judicious leave his hallmark in the last four years, crowded off stump as though trying to insert himself into a half-heard conversation. Although his bat ended up well ahead of his body and outside the line, this was a failure of composure rather than of technique per se – a lovely, tantalising outswinger from Broad also.

Usman Khawaja of Australia celebrates his century Picture: Getty Images

And throws his bat in celebration Picture: Getty Images

Nor does Bazball become Bazzzzzball in the field. As captain, Ben Stokes never leaves the game alone – he is perpetually shaping, gesturing, suggesting and cajoling.

Friday it was the quicksilver declaration, and the preference for Broad for the new ball. Saturday it was extracting England’s first 27 overs from seven bowlers, including cameos from the part-timers Harry Brook and Joe Root; James Anderson, England’s most venerable bowler, delivered only six of the first 48.

The most popular spell was the opportune burst from himself. At first Stokes rather coasted in; only gradually opening the throttle of his muscle car physique to trap a perplexed Steve Smith in front.

The most considered overs were the 29 at the Birmingham End allocated to Moeen Ali, who had bowled only 26 overs in the entire Indian Premier League – a generous invitation, like an offer from Stokes to stay in his spare room.

Just when you were wondering whether Moeen might have been overstaying his welcome, the off-spinner coaxed a casual shot from Head, and should have had Green stumped second ball.

Stokes’ fields, meanwhile, are not so much funky as jazzy: improvisatory, anticipatory, infinitely adjustable, but with an underlying logic. Saturday morning it was the twin leg slips for Smith, the short cover for Khawaja; Saturday afternoon it was silly point for Head, short mid-off and on for Green. Then, of course, there are the fields he does not set, like the protective men in the deep for slow bowlers.

Usman Khawaja plays a cut shot during his unbeaten innings Picture: Getty Images

Having made the running, however, England were confounded by their own sloppiness – perhaps a corollary of Bazball, which in its grand sweeps and freedom from dreary consequences implicitly discourages a sweating of the small stuff.

Bairstow had a poor day behind the stumps: he is as mobile as a sight screen. Broad and Stokes had an inattentive day on the front line: bowl as many as a dozen no-balls, and chances are that you will cost yourself a wicket.

Had Bairstow accepted a regulation nick from Carey (26) and Broad legitimately bowled Khawaja (112) in his first over with the second new ball, Australia would have been more than 120 runs adrift with a long tail to come.

There’s a constrained violence in Usman Khawaja’s pull shot Picture: AFP

With their sixth-wicket partnership at stumps having grown to 91 from 164 balls, Carey (46) surviving another chance at the wicket, the Australians could be satisfied at hanging on despite minimal contribution from their three best-credentialed batters: Smith, Warner and Labuschagne. From unpromising beginnings, good signs for the visitors. From the excellent, the better yet for one visitor in particular.