Usman Khawaja ended his decade-long wait for a maiden test hundred in England as he led an Australia recovery in the Ashes opener at Edgbaston on Saturday.
Australia were struggling at 67-3 after Stuart Broad struck twice in two balls to remove David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne before England captain Ben Stokes captured the prize wicket of star batsman Steve Smith.
But they had recovered to 311-5 at stumps on the second day of this five-match series, with opening batsman Khawaja 126 not out and Alex Carey, dropped by opposing wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow, unbeaten on 52 in an unbroken stand of 91.
That still left Australia 82 runs behind England's first-innings 393-8 declared built on Joe Root's 118 not out.
Usman Khawaja and Alex Carey carry Australia to stumps ???? #Ashes | #WTC25 | ??: https://t.co/ZNnKIn9jeq pic.twitter.com/Y5eeAPkQVQ
— ICC (@ICC) June 17, 2023
Australia captain Pat Cummins insisted on Thursday his recently-crowned World Test champions had no need to emulate England's ultra-aggressive 'Bazball' style batting, saying: "Somewhere our batters might take 200 balls to get a hundred and that's totally fine."
His words were underlined by Khawaja's 199-ball hundred -- his 15th in tests but seventh in 18 matches since he was recalled last year.
Khawaja completed his century with a late-cut four off Stokes with the often understated left-hander throwing his bat in sheer joy.
"I honestly don't know," Khawaja told reporters when asked about his celebration. "It was the culmination of three Ashes tours in England and getting dropped in two of them.
"I don't read the media but when I'm being sprayed (barracked) by the crowd out there, and as I'm going to the nets, that I can't score runs in England, I guess it was a bit more emotional than normal."
15th Test hundred for Usman Khawaja ??#Ashes | #WTC25 | ??: https://t.co/ZNnKIn9jeq pic.twitter.com/IvFyu9J1H2
— ICC (@ICC) June 17, 2023
Khawaja, who has batted in several different berths, now averages a colossal 68.72 as an opener -- the highest by anyone in to have batted in a minimum 20 test innings in the position.
He added: "Not that I have a point to prove but it's nice to go out and score runs for Australia and show to everyone that the last ten years hasn't been a fluke."
Khawaja's obdurate stay appeared to have ended when Broad bowled him for 112 in the first over with the new ball but replays revealed the veteran seamer had overstepped the crease for a marginal no-ball.
'GRUELLING DAY'
Broad had earlier reduced Australia to 29-2 as he again got the better of Warner, whom he dismissed seven times during the drawn 2019 Ashes in England.
The left-hander had reached nine on an overcast morning favouring England's quicks when he chased a wide ball from Broad and inside edged into his stumps.
And the crowd's roars were even louder when Labuschagne, the world's top-ranked test batsman, fell for a golden duck next ball after edging a Broad outswinger that was brilliantly caught one-handed low down by diving wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow.
"It has been a hard gruelling day on a pitch that offered very little but being in this position is a really positive place to be I think," Broad told the BBC.
Stokes's bowling fitness had been called into question by a longstanding left knee injury, but the lively all-rounder struck when he rapped Smith on the back foot with a nip-back ball.
Despite a review, Smith -- whose twin centuries in the Ashes opener at Edgbaston four years ago powered Australia to a 251-run win -- was lbw for 16.
But as the ball got older and conditions 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, each hitting the recalled off-spinner for sixes on his Birmingham home ground.
But Moeen, kept on by Stokes, had his revenge when Head, fresh from a hundred in Australia's WTC final win over India at The Oval last week, dragged a drive to midwicket on 50.
Australia's 148-4 should have become 148-5 when Cameron Green, on a second-ball nought, charged at a sharply-turning Moeen delivery only for Bairstow to miss a clear stumping opportunity. Moeen eventually bowled Green for 38.
ENGLAND: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Jonny Bairstow (wkt), Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson
AUSTRALIA: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wkt), Pat Cummins (capt), Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland, Josh Hazlewood