Ashes 2023, Usman Khawaja surpasses 5,000 Test runs: Stats
Australian opener Usman Khawaja has completed 5,000 runs in Test cricket. The veteran opener reached his milestone in the second innings of the fifth Ashes Test at the Kennington Oval in London. Before this match, Khawaja required 115 runs to get to the mark. He scored 47 in the first innings. In the second innings, Khawaja is unbeaten on 69. Here are the stats.
A stellar Ashes series
Khawaja has been one of the standout players in the ongoing Ashes series. He is one of the four batters to score over 400 runs in the five-Test Ashes series. The 36-year-old has smashed three fifties and a solitary hundred in this series. He has overtaken England's Zak Crawley (480) to be the highest scorer in the series (493*).
Second-highest runs in the 2021-23 WTC cycle
Khawaja had a brilliant outing in the 2021-23 World Test Championship cycle. He was an integral part of the Australian team that won the Test mace beating India in the final. Khawaja amassed 1,621 runs in 17 Tests at an average of 64.84. His tally includes six hundreds and seven fifties. He was only behind England's Joe Root who scored 1,915 runs.
21st Australian to complete 5,000 Test runs
Playing his 66th Test match, Khawaja has completed 5,000 runs at an average in excess of 47. He made his Test debut against England in 2011. His tally includes 15 hundreds and 24 fifties in Test cricket. Notably, he is the 21st Australian cricketer to achieve this milestone. Among active Australian players, only Steve Smith (9,2,66) and David Warner are ahead of the opener.
Most runs since his comeback to Test cricket
Khawaja made a comeback to the Australian Test set-up last year in January. Since then, he hasn't looked back. Since January 2022, he has scored the most runs in this format. He has compiled 2,100-plus runs in 22 Tests at an average of more than 62. He is the only batter with over 2,000-plus runs in Tests in this period. Root trails him.
Khawaja broke this Ashes record
As per FOX cricket journalist Nic Savage, Khawaja became the first Australian opener to face 1,000-plus deliveries in a five-match Ashes series since 1938.
A look at his numbers against England in Test cricket
Khawaja has decent numbers against the Brits in Test cricket. He has compiled over 1,300 runs in 19 Tests at an average in excess of 40. The southpaw has slapped six fifties and four hundreds against them in Tests. In 11 away Ashes Tests, Khawaja has amassed 700-plus runs at an average in excess of 34. He has slammed four fifties and a ton.
