Ton-up Usman Khawaja Keeps England At Bay In Ashes Opener

Usman Khawaja ended his decade-long wait for a maiden Test hundred in England as he led an Australia recovery in the Ashes opener at Edgbaston on Saturday. Australia were struggling at 67-3 after Stuart Broad struck twice in two balls to remove David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne before England captain Ben Stokes captured the prize wicket of star batsman Steve Smith. But they had recovered to 311-5 at stumps on the second day of this five-match series, with opening batsman Khawaja 126 not out and wicketkeeper Alex Carey unbeaten on 52 in an unbroken stand of 91. That still left Australia 82 runs behind England's first-innings 393-8 declared built on Joe Root's 118 not out.

Australia captain Pat Cummins insisted Thursday his recently-crowned World Test champions had no need to emulate England's ultra-aggressive 'Bazball' style batting, saying: "Somewhere our batters might take 200 balls to get a hundred and that's totally fine."

His words were underlined by Khawaja's 199-ball hundred -- his 15th in Tests but seventh in 18 matches since he was recalled last year -- which he completed with a late-cut four off Stokes.

Khawaja's obdurate stay appeared to have ended when Broad bowled him for 112 in the first over with the new ball but replays revealed the veteran seamer had overstepped the crease for a marginal no-ball and Khawaja was reprieved.

Broad had earlier reduced Australia to 29-2 as he again got the better of Warner, whom he dismissed seven times during the drawn 2019 Ashes in England.

The left-hander had reached nine on an overcast morning favouring England's quicks when he chased a wide ball from Broad and inside edged into his stumps.

And the roars of the crowd became deafening next ball when Labuschagne, the