After David Warner’s woes continued against Stuart Broad and Australia lost three wickets in Saturday’s first session, Khawaja held together Australia’s reply to England’s 8(dec)-393.
Dropped on both previous visits to England and averaging 17.78 in the country before Saturday, Khawaja has already posted his highest score in the country with 84 not out.
Caught behind the wicket often in England, the left-hander barely had a ball take his edge while still driving nicely through the offside.
He pulled brilliantly against the quicks off a good length, with five of his 11 boundaries coming off the shot.
The left-hander could have done with more support from the top order, but allrounder Cameron Green went to tea alongside him on 21.
Alongside Travis Head, Khawaja took on England’s Moeen Ali after lunch, as the pair put on 81 for the fourth wicket and the opener hit two sixes back over the spinner’s head..
Head had also shown some confidence to take on the short ball against the quicks, as England set up five fielders between forward square leg and fine leg to pepper the No.5.
But the South Australian’s confidence came undone on 50 when he tried to work Moeen through the legside against the spin, and hit him to a diving Zak Crawley at midwicket.Â
Earlier, Broad had got up to his old tricks against Australia when he removed Warner and Labuschagne in successive balls.
After earning a reputation as Broad’s bunny in the last Ashes series in England, Warner fell for nine on Saturday morning when he played on to the Englishman.
Warner had been adamant before the series that he would play him differently this year after falling to him seven times in 10 innings in 2019, and nowhere near as defensively.
For the first 30 minutes on Saturday, Warner was patient. Australia played out the opening three overs for maidens and Broad’s first 12 balls to Warner were dots.
Then on the 13th delivery Warner saw a wide ball outside off stump, went hard at it, and dragged it back onto his own stumps.
After scores of 43 and one in the World Test Championship final, the time is ticking on the 36-year-old Warner and his hopes of playing through to an SCG retirement in January.
After Warner went, Broad (2-31) spent a minute trying to rouse the Hollies Stand to roar even louder before he ran in at Labuschagne.
He brought them immediately to life, setting up Labuschagne with a legside field set and drawing his outside edge with a ball that swung away as the right-hander felt forward for it.
Ben Stokes also landed the crucial blow of Steve Smith just before lunch on 16, trapping him lbw going back and across to a ball that hit him high on the pad.