[Watch] Heartbreak for England as Stuart Broad cleans up centurion Usman Khawaja off a no-ball on Day 2 of first Ashes Test
England pacer Stuart Broad went through the gate of Australian opener Usman Khawaja in just two deliveries after taking the second new ball. But, the umpires soon deemed it as a front-foot no-ball on Day 2 of the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston.
Khawaja was well set, batting on 112 when the champion English bowler nipped one back in from a full length and went through the defense of the left-hander to send the packed crowd into ruptures.
However, the umpire asked Khawaja to hold on to check for a front foot no-ball before receiving the verdict from the TV umpire confirming the same, much to the dismay of the home team and its supporters.
Here is a video of the entire drama of the wicket followed by the no-ball signal:
Drama at Edgbaston as Usman Khawaja survives 🍿
How much could this no-ball impact the result of the match?
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Earlier in the day, Broad produced a sensational spell with the new ball, removing his bunny David Warner and the No.1 ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne off back-to-back deliveries. The dismissals reduced the Aussies to 29-2 in the 11th over after England had scored 393/8 declared in their first innings.
The visitors lost their star batter Steve Smith soon after to find themselves in the doldrums at 67-3. However, a defiant Usman Khawaja put on a valuable 81-run partnership with in-form Travis Head to provide the innings with some much-needed impetus.
Soon after Head's dismissal, Khawaja was involved in another vital 72-run partnership with all-rounder Cameron Green. In the final session, the southpaw Khawaja stitched an unbeaten stand of 91 with wicket-keeper Alex Carey.
The Aussies finished Day 2 on 311/5, trailing England by 82 runs, with Khawaja unbeaten on 126 and Carey giving him company on 52*.
Usman Khawaja scores his maiden century in England
Australian opening batter Usman Khawaja scored his maiden Test century in English conditions on Day 2 of the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston. After being dropped midway through the 2019 Ashes series in England, the milestone completed a full circle in his turnaround in the red-ball format.
The southpaw reached the landmark in the 69th over of the day off Ben Stokes and was hugely animated in his celebrations.
Khawaja was Australia's best batter in the 2021-23 WTC cycle, scoring 1,621 runs at a resounding average of 64.84. The 36-year-old finished second in the run-scorers chart and was instrumental in Australia's qualifying for the final against India.
The stylish opening batter was also the Player of the Series in Australia's series win in Pakistan and starred in Australia's most recent series in India, finishing as the leading run-scorer with 333 runs at an average of 47.57 in four Tests.
Despite this resurgence in Test cricket, there were several questions about Usman Khawaja's ability to counter the English conditions, considering his paltry 17.70 average in his previous seven matches.
However, his incredible unbeaten century on Day Two should silence his critics as he displayed tremendous composure and technique to lead Australia to safe shores.