Usman Khawaja completes 14,000 runs in FC cricket: Key stats
Veteran Australian batter Usman Khawaja has completed 14,000 runs in First-Class cricket. He accomplished the milestone with his 28th run in Australia's first innings of the ongoing second and Day-Night Test against West Indies in Brisbane. Khawaja has been truly stellar in whites. Over 5,300 of his runs have come in Test cricket. Here we look at his stats.
An important knock from Khawaja
Khawaja ended up scoring 75 off 131 balls. He slammed 10 fours. It was an important knock from the southpaw the Aussies were tottering at 54/5 when he joined Alex Carey (65) in the middle. The duo led Australia's fight back with a 94-run stand. Khawaja also added 81 runs with Pat Cummins. He eventually fell to Kevin Sinclair.
14,000 runs up for Khawaja
Khawaja is standing in his 201st FC game. He has now raced to 14,047 runs with his average being 44-plus. The tally includes 41 tons and 68 fifties. 214 reads his best score in red-ball cricket. While the left-handed batter made his FC debut in February 2008, Khawaja had to wait almost three years to receive his maiden Test cap.
A look at his Test numbers
Currently playing his 71st Test match, Khawaja has raced to 5,353 runs, averaging 46.95. He made his Test debut against England in 2011. His tally includes 15 hundreds and 26 fifties in Test cricket. Since January 2022, he has scored the most runs in this format. He has compiled 2,466 runs in 27 Tests at an average of 57.34 (100s: 7, 50s: 12).
ICC Test Cricketer of the Year (2023)
On January 25, Khawaja was named the 2023 ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the year. He became the sixth Aussie to receive the honor after Ricky Ponting (2006), Michael Clarke (2013), Mitchell Johnson (2014), Steve Smith (2015), and Pat Cummins (2019). Notably, Khawaja was nominated alongside his teammate Travis Head, India's Ravichandran Ashwin, and England's Joe Root for the prestigious award.
Most Test runs in 2023
Khawaja finished 2023 with 1,210 runs across 13 Tests in 2023 at 52.60. Khawaja was the highest run-getter of two high-profile series. While he made 333 runs at 47.57 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the 2023 Ashes saw him score 496 runs at 49.60. Meanwhile, against WI, he has raced to 507 Test runs, averaging 63.37 (100: 1, 50s: 4).
How has the match proceeded?
Kavem Hodge (71) and Joshua Da Silva (78) consolidated after a top-order collapse as WI posted 311/10 while batting first. Debutant Kevin Sinclair scored 50 while batting at number eight. Mitchell Starc claimed four wickets. In reply, Kemar Roach and Alzarri Joseph ran through the Aussie line-up, reducing the hosts to 54/5. However, Khawaja, Carey, and Cummins have powered Australia past 250.
