Usman Khawaja's season is getting better with every passing day with the south paw scoring yet another hundred, this time in the Big Bash League (BBL) semifinal as Sydney Thunder edged out Adelaide Strikers by eight wickets on Thursday.
Choosing to bat first at their home ground, the Strikers started off in the worst possible note with Tim Ludeman (2) and Mahela Jayawardena (7) back in the hut inside the third over. Shane Watson (2/28) and Clint McKay (3/44) accounted for their wickets and the middle order, barring Alex Ross (47 off 38 balls), couldn't set the tempo for a big total.
Ross tried his best hitting five fours in the process and a late flourish by Michael Nesser (27, 16b, 3x4, 1x6) and Adil Rashid (14, 3b, 2x4, 1x6) ensured some respectability to the score, which reached 159 for 7 in the stipulated overs.
In reply, Sydney started scoring at more than 10 runs per over from the start, courtesy Khawaja (104 n o, 59b), and never looked back. The left hand bat played a 'no holds barred' innings, smashing each and every bowler according to his will. This was incidentally Khawaja's second hundred of the BBL season as he had scored an unbeaten 109 against Melbourne Stars in a league game last year.
Ben Laughlin (1/21) and Rashid (1/28) offered a glimmer of hope to the hosts by dismissing Watson (7) and Mike Hussey (11) cheaply, but Kiwi Henry Nicholls (35, 27b, 1x4, 2x6) resisted against a middle order collapse, playing second fiddle to the Australian.
Khawaja, with the help of 13 boundaries and three maximums, managed a mind boggling strike rate of 176.27 and calmed the nerves of his teammates, leading his side to the final in just 17.4 overs. With Khawaja playing these kinds of knocks consistently, it's a matter of time that he will find a place in the star-studded Australian ODI squad.
