Birmingham, UK

Australia’s Usman Khawaja joined a rare list of elite players on Tuesday (June 20) after he came out to bat on Day 5 of the first Ashes Test in Edgbaston. Khawaja, enjoying a purple patch of form for the national side, became just the second Australian batter to bat on all five days of a Test match after Kim Hughes in 1980. While the nail-biting contest is still hanging in the balance, Khawaja could be the difference-maker in the contest while the second session was on roll at the time of writing.

Advertisment

×

Khawaja joins elite list

After stepping on the field on Day 5, the veteran Aussie became the 13th player in the history of the format to bat on all five days of a Test match joining a list of players including Ravi Shastri, Andrew Flintoff, Cheteshwar Pujara, and others. In doing so, he also became the second batter after Hughes achieved the feat against England in 1980. Much to the surprise, the contest was not an Ashes match as the two nations met only a one-off contest that year at Lord’s. He is therefore the first Australian to play on all five days of an Ashes Test, and third overall to achieve the rare feat.

Advertisment

List of players to bat on all five days of a Test

Motganalli Jaisimha (India) vs Australia - 1960

Geoffrey Boycott (England) vs Australia - 1977

Advertisment

Kim Hughes (Australia) vs England - 1980

Allan Lamb (England) vs West Indies - 1984

Ravi Shastri (India) vs England - 1984

Adrian Griffith (West Indies) vs New Zealand - 1999

Andrew Flintoff (England) vs India - 2006

Alviro Petersen (South Africa) vs New Zealand - 2012

Cheteshwar Pujara (India) vs Sri Lanka - 2017

Rory Burns (England) vs Australia - 2019

Kraigg Brathwaite (West Indies) vs Zimbabwe - 2023

Tangenarine Chanderpaul (West Indies) vs Zimbabwe - 2023

Usman Khawaja (Australia) vs England - 2023*

ALSO READ | Ashes 2023: English fans mock Steve Smith with 'saw you cry on telly' chants in Edgbaston Test - Watch

Match hangs in balance

After rain-interrupted Day 5, at the time of writing, Australia were 150/5 from 50 overs with Khawaja batting on 41 and Cameron Green unbeaten on 4. The Aussies still need 131 to win with five wickets in hand while Stuart Broad was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets. Both teams still have an equal chance of winning the contest on Day 5 as either side will look to take a 1-0 lead heading into the second Test at Lord’s which kick starts on Wednesday, June 28.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.