171 vs England (January 2018)
After scoring just two half-centuries in the first four Tests, Usman Khawaja delivered a masterclass with a towering 171. Walking in to bat after opener Cameron Bancroft was dismissed for a duck in reply to England’s first innings total of 346 all out, the left-hander played a patient knock, batting for more than eight-and-a-half hours to help Australia declare at 649-7. His 381-ball innings helped the hosts take a mammoth 303-run first-innings lead, which eventually resulted in an innings victory and a 4-0 Ashes series win.
137and 101 not out vs England (January 2022)
Khawaja made a dream comeback after being out of the side for almost 29 months. The then 35-year-old was drafted into the playing XI after Travis Head was sidelined by COVID-19. Batting at No. 5, he made full use of the opportunity, scoring a flawless 137. His innings, laced with 13 fours, took Australia to 416-8 declared. The left-hander received a standing ovation from the SCG crowd for his comeback knock. There was no stopping Khawaja in the second innings as he achieved the rare feat of scoring twin centuries in a single Test. Coming in at 68-3 in Australia’s second innings, in reply to England’s 294 all out, he batted more aggressively, scoring 101 not out off just 138 balls to set up a 388-run victory target. By doing so, he became only the third player to score two hundreds in the same Test at the SCG. The game eventually ended in a draw.
195 not out vs South Africa (January 2023)
With the majority of the Test affected by rain, Khawaja tried his best to outbat South Africa with his then career-best 195 not out. With Khawaja just five runs short of his maiden double century, captain Pat Cummins made a courageous call to declare the innings at 475-4. Khawaja’s knock featured 19 fours and one six. The game, however, ended in a draw after the Proteas were made to bat twice, finishing the Test at 106-2 after being bowled out for just 255 in their first innings.
87.5
Usman Khawaja’s average in Tests in Sydney. He has scored 875 runs in nine matches
