Usman Khawaja has celebrated the one-year anniversary of his return to the Check group, along with his fifth century in 12 months serving to Australia to 4-475 towards South Africa.
Khawaja was on the verge of his maiden Check double century when rain stopped play within the final session on day two of the third Check, unbeaten on 195 after he and Steve Smith each struck tons.
Travis Head then motored alongside to 70 off 59 balls in an entertaining ultimate session, persevering with his swashbuckling summer season, placing at greater than 95 with a median of 87.5.
Having already wrapped up the sequence, Australia is now laying the platform for a 3-Zero whitewash and the possibility to lock in a spot in June’s World Check Championship ultimate.
Solely rain appears to be like more likely to stand in its means, with extra moist climate forecast on Friday and Saturday after a darkish day one.
In excellent kind since he was recalled to Australia’s group final January, Khawaja has averaged greater than 75 since his comeback.
Unable to carry down a spot for almost all of his Check profession, 36-year-old Khawaja is now having fun with one of many nice late-career resurgences on the prime of the order.
After resuming on 51no on Thursday, the right-hander labored the ball off his pads properly and hit out-of-sorts spinner Keshav Maharaj over cowl for six.
He additionally helped take 14 off one Kagiso Rabada over within the center session, reducing the South African fast for 4 after which twice guiding him to the third-man boundary.
The one alternative he supplied up additionally went for 4, middling Rabada to Anrich Nortje at level earlier than the ball brushed the fast’s pants and flew to the rope.
Smith, too, checked out dwelling towards the Proteas’ bowling earlier than turning into Maharaj’s first sufferer of the tour on 104.
He had earlier cleared the rope off each of South Africa’s spinners, dispatching Maharaj (1-108) over the legside and Simon Harmer again down the bottom.
Smith additionally seemed comfy towards his outdated nemesis Rabada, taking part in an excellent pull shot early to the boundary and doing the identical once more off Marco Jansen.
He introduced up his 30th century pulling Nortje for 4, turning into the fourth Australian to achieve the milestone.
Such was Australia’s dominance, when Smith was caught and bowled by Maharaj, it was arduous to inform if the batter or the SCG crowd had been extra shocked.
Head quickly took over.
He hit eight boundaries throughout the bottom and a giant six down again over Maharaj’s head, earlier than finally being caught off the bowling of Rabada (1-119) on the square-leg boundary.
South Africa’s lengthy day within the area provides to an extended record of robust days on this tour, with Maharaj and Rabada each poor and Nortje the one threatening bowler with two wickets on day one.
