Opening batter Usman Khawaja smashed his maiden double century in the test format on day 02 of the opener test of the Australia tour of Sri Lanka 2025.
Resuming the game on day 02, he smashed 200 off 290 deliveries with a single down to the ground which included 16 fours and a six.
Chris Gayle has the record of scoring the most runs in an innings of a test played in Sri Lanka by any opposition batter. He had 333 runs in 437 deliveries in a test match played in 2010.
Khawaja returned to form with his 16th test century to end his 19-month drought for a triple-figure score. The opener scored his last hundred during the first test of the Ashes 2023 at Edgbaston.
Khawaja becomes the sixth Australia batter to score a test double century in Sri Lanka after Mark Taylor, Greg Chappell, Dean Jones, Matt Hayden and Jason Gillespie.
Maiden Test double-ton for Usman Khawaja 💯💯#SLvAUS
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 30, 2025
Khawaja also become the sixth Australian opener to score a century in Sri Lanka. Khawaja began his innings cautiously scoring three runs off 15 balls. Once he understood the pitch behavious, he got his innings going with a four against pacer Asitha Fernando in the fifth over.
Khawaja smashed a hundred in the Sri Lanka in the Island at the age of 38 years and 42 days to become the oldest cricketer to achieve the milestone against the host nation. The list also features Pakistan’s Younis Khan (37 years 216 days), and cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar (37 Years 93 days).
Khawaja reached his half century in 71 deliveries and reached his hundred off 135 balls as he flicked Fernando for a boundary towards a fine leg.
With a stunning batting combination, Australia was able to trouble Sri Lankan bowlers and cross 400+ run mark before the lunch on day 02 with losing 3 wickets at Galle International Stadium.
