'I thought that after 44 Test matches, my career was done' - Usman Khawaja after sensational ton at Edgbaston

Australian opener Usman Khawaja finally redeemed himself in English conditions as he scored a sensational hundred in the first innings of the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston. The southpaw was finally dismissed on 141 as he almost took Australia near to England’s first innings score of 393/8d. The 36-year-old had a terrible record in England ahead of the Ashes 2023 as he averaged just above 17 in 14 innings.

However, he redeemed himself in the first Test and continued his remarkable run in Test cricket from 2021. Reflecting on his marvelous run in the longest format of the game, Khawaja said that he thought his career was done when he was dropped from the Test team in 2019.

"Honestly, I thought that after 44 Test matches, my career was done. I was very content and happy. Most people don't get to play 44 Test matches. Scored 8 hundreds, been a part of Ashes-winning teams, and lots of winning teams. So when I got an opportunity to play again, honestly every Test feels like a bonus. Nothing lasts forever, so I am enjoying the ride," Khawaja was quoted as saying by IndiaToday.

Notably, Khawaja was dropped from the Test team after Ashes 2019 and made a comeback into the side in Ashes 2021-22 and scored twin hundreds on his return. Since then, the southpaw has been in stupendous form having scored over 1500 hundred runs averaging above 60. Further talking about his preparation, he said that more than technique, it’s the mental space that affects a batter’s performance.

"Majority of things that happen as a batter are in your head. Very few times it might be technical. For me, I was probably in the best spot ever coming into England. I know this is probably going to be my last tour,” he added.

Meanwhile, Australia got all out on 386 on Day 3 trailing England by seven runs. However, they made a good comeback by dismissing both England openers Ben Duckett (19) and Zak Crawley (7) cheaply in the second innings. England were 28/2 after 10 overs before rain stopped play on Day 3.