Today was Day 1 of the Third Test between Australia and England, hosted at many people’s favourite ground, Adelaide Oval. The visitors have been woeful so far, and are already 2-0 down with three games to go. It is looking bleak.
Australia has been riding high, except for one gentleman. Usman Khawaja, who usually opens the batting, first played for Australia in 2011. Tomorrow, he turns 39. He’s good, but never forget a spot in the 1st XI is nevermore than a timeshare.
He has just come back from injury, and missed the first two games. Last night, when I went to bed, he hadn’t been selected, and the very clear, albeit unsaid, conclusion was that his time at the top was finished.
So you can imagine my surprise when I checked the scores this evening, and he was out in the middle. Not with a microphone, but a bat! And moreover, doing well!
Uzzie, as he is affectionately known, scored 82 runs, the second highest after Carey’s excellent 105, and 25% of the total team’s runs thus far.
This all came from a wild piece of fortune/misfortune, when Australia’s best player, Steve Smith, had a bout of vertigo in the morning, and has skipped the match.
The world works in weird ways.
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