Days after playing his final Test, Usman Khawaja returned to the BBL and made an instant impact, scoring 78 off 48 in Brisbane Heat's win over Sydney Thunder.
Khawaja shines on BBL return
Khawaja eclipsed his former opening partner David Warner, whose 82 off 56 carried Sydney Thunder to 180-6 in the first innings. In response, Khawaja hit his first BBL fifty in three years (this was his fourth match since), falling just before Heat completed their fourth win of the season.
Leading the side, Khawaja hit seven fours and three sixes, first putting on a 57-run opening stand with Jake Wildermuth, and then a 93-run partnership with Matt Renshaw (42 off 26), to all but seal it for Heat.
When he reached his fifty, Khawaja cheekily pulled out Steve Smith's V-grip celebration from the recent Ashes.
He was dismissed in the 16th over with six needed, with Max Bryant finishing it off with as many off the only ball he faced. Khawaja also won the Player of the Match.
Marnus Labuschagne, another member of Australia's recent Ashes win, was not needed to bat.
Also read: Australia's Test openers, ranked: Why Usman Khawaja is top three
Both are part of Australia's list of Test players who have quickly switched from the Ashes to BBL action: Smith and Mitchell Starc are set to be in action too, while Travis Head, Cam Green and Scott Boland are resting.
Match 29, Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Thunder
vs
- Ball by ball Over
Khawaja, who turns 40 this year, retired from Tests after the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney, bringing an end to an 88-Test career that started 15 years ago. Given his national commitments, and his reputation as a Test specialist, Khawaja hasn't played a lot of T20 cricket of late. However, he has now recorded 10 double-digit scores in a row since the start of 2023, including three half-centuries.
pos
team
1
Hobart Hurricanes
2
Melbourne Stars
3
Perth Scorchers
4
Sydney Sixers
5
Brisbane Heat
6
Adelaide Strikers
7
Melbourne Renegades
8
Sydney Thunder
MP
w
l
nrr
pts
Form Guide
8
6
2
+0.398
12
W
W
L
W
W
8
5
3
+0.909
10
W
L
L
L
W
7
4
3
+1.094
8
L
W
W
W
L
7
4
3
+0.458
8
W
W
W
L
W
8
4
4
-0.446
8
W
L
W
L
W
7
3
4
-0.258
6
L
W
L
W
L
7
3
4
-0.713
6
L
W
W
L
L
8
1
7
-1.348
2
L
L
L
L
L
The loss has pushed the Thunder further down in an already-horrid BBL season; they have just one win in eight attempts so far, as well as the worst net run rate (-1.348) in the competition.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
