A soupy second day here was a return to the more natural rhythms of Test cricket; the other side, if you will, of the culture clash that has made this Ashes series so intriguing. Usman Khawaja compiled a delightful century to banish a few personal demons on these shores and with this Australia made England toil in the main.
As the players left the field after three hard-fought sessions, the tourists were 311 for five from 94 overs. Though still trailing by 82 runs after England’s jet-propelled 393 for eight declared the previous day, they had held firm in their trusted conventional approach. And through Khawaja’s 126 not out from 279 balls, plus an impish unbeaten 52 from Alex Carey, the match is evenly poised.
