‘One of his best’ - Ricky Ponting extols Usman Khawaja after Australian opener's maiden ton on English soil

Veteran Australian batter Usman Khawaja was undoubtedly the best batter for Australia in the first Test of the Ashes 2023. In the first innings, Khawaja’s knock was crucial for Australia in notching up a good total and minimising the deficit.

The 36-year-old batter opened the innings for Australia and amassed 141 runs in 321 deliveries, helping the Aussies notch up 386 runs on the board by the end of the first innings. His exceptional performance got many experts and pundits talking.

Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting also came to the front to laud Khawaja's exceptional knock. The 48-year-old opined that it was one of the best knocks of Khawaja’s career, and his celebration said a lot about how much the ton meant to him.

"I think this is one of his best, to be honest, From the media’s point of view, there were a few question marks over Usman coming to England. His record in England was not where he wanted it to be and certainly not as good as it is in other parts of the world," Ricky Ponting was quoted as saying by the ICC. 

"I think you could tell by his celebration just how much it meant to him. I am not sure I have seen a batsman throw their bat up in the air actually when they have made a Test match hundred, And his innings was outstanding. It is a bit of a monkey off the back I think and a real standout moment in his career," he added.

England managed to maintain a slender lead of seven runs by the end of Australia’s first innings. However, the side got off to the worst of starts to their innings as both English openers were sent back to the pavilion quite early into the innings. 

Zak Crawley was sent packing for seven runs, whereas Ben Duckett was dismissed by Pat Cummins for 19 runs. By the end of Day 3, Joe Root and Ollie Pope stood at the crease as England were left reeling at 28/2.