Ashes 2021-22, Sydney Test: Khawaja's glorious century takes Australia to the top; netizens laud his comeback

Australia has again piled pressure on England on Day 2 of the Sydney 2021-22 Ashes Test. Usman Khawaja scored a gritty century to keep the hosts on top. Consequently, netizens were filled with joy.

It has again been a dominant show by Australia. On Day 2 of the fourth Ashes 2021-22 Test at the Syndey Cricket Ground (SCG) on Thursday, the hosts managed to score 416/8. Usman Khawaja heavily aided the innings by playing a gritty knock of 137. With Australia on the top, netizens have lauded his remarkable comeback.

Khawaja came in the fifth spot when Australia was 117/3. Also, when at 28, he was dropped by English skipper Joe Root in the slips. Thereon, he intended on making the most of the opportunity. As a result, he slammed his ninth Test ton, hitting 13 boundaries and was knocked over by pacer Stuart Broad at 398.

Match summary
Winning the toss, Australian skipper Pat Cummins surprisingly opted to bat in overcast conditions. However, the decision seemingly turned out to be fair, with Australia posting a respectable total of 416/8, thanks to Khawaja's 137. Also, Steven Smith played a healthy knock of 69 to aid Australia's cause.

As for the English bowlers, pacer Stuart Broad was the star of the lot, claiming a fifer. However, pacer Ben Stokes was unable to bowl for a side strain. As England came out to bat, it was off to a slow but steady start, with Zak Crawley surviving a dismissal, thanks to seamer Mitchell Starc overstepping. While England trails by 403, it would be an uphill task, while rain could be its only saviour.
Brief scores: AUS 416/8 (Smith- 67, Khawaja- 137; Broad- 5/101) leads ENG 13/0 (Crawley- 2; Cummins- 0/1) by 403 runs.