Cricket-Australia's Khawaja savours special hundred in Pakistan

KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) - Australia's Usman Khawaja would not rate his hundred in the second test against Pakistan as his best but it meant a lot to him coming in the country of his birth, the opener said on Saturday.

Islamabad-born Khawaja came agonisingly close to a hundred in the drawn opening test in Rawalpindi that ended on Tuesday, when his 97 was the highest score for his side.

The elegant left-hander made amends in Karachi where the crowd at the National Stadium included four of his relatives.

"I was born in Islamabad but my parents are from Karachi, so this one meant a lot," Khawaja told reporters after Australia rode his unbeaten 127 to finish the opening day on 251-3.

It was his third century in four tests, following his twin hundreds in the Sydney Ashes contest against England in January.

"It's hard to rate them all, for every test hundred is pretty special. I think the Sydney ones are probably up there as my favourites.

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