Usman Khawaja batted positively from the moment he marked his guard in the second innings of the Oval Test, shelving the conservatism that marked his approach in the first essay. David Warner, on the other hand, was archetypally busy at the crease as the left-handers got Australia off to a promising start. The scoring rate was healthy enough and neither of the two batters gave England a sniff.
In what was a bizarre incident during the first session, James Anderson inadvertently bowled a beamer to Warner, who was taken aback by the nasty delivery at first before managing to show the presence of mind to somehow ramp it over the slip cordon.
Conditions look ideal to bat on although footmarks have taken form on the pitch now. Much to Australia’s respite, none of them are in line with the stumps, meaning that the southpaws in the middle have been able to handle the off-spinning duo of Moeen Ali and Joe Root with ease.
What an effort from Harry Brook to stop that from going for a boundary! 👏
David Warner brings up 5️⃣0️⃣ 💪 pic.twitter.com/AUIdglU44A
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 30, 2023
