Khawaja Shines as McSweeney and Kellaway Make Their Marks in Sheffield Shield Clashes
As the Ashes Test approaches, Usman Khawaja regains form while fellow contenders Labuschagne and Renshaw falter during the Sheffield Shield. South Australia's Nathan McSweeney scores a crucial century. Other key performances include centuries from Steve Smith, Kurtis Patterson, and Victoria's Campbell Kellaway as teams set notable totals.
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With the first Ashes Test on the horizon, veteran batsman Usman Khawaja found much-needed form, while contenders for the second opening spot, Marnus Labuschagne and Matt Renshaw, struggled on day three of the Sheffield Shield on Thursday. Nathan McSweeney, representing South Australia, scored a century to keep himself in contention for a coveted opening position. Starting the day at 349/5, New South Wales ended at 429/7 declared, with Steve Smith (118) and Kurtis Patterson (122) both achieving hundreds. Queensland responded solidly, reaching 238/4 and trailing by 191 runs. Khawaja impressed with an 87 off 127 balls, including 12 boundaries, forming a 94-run partnership with recent ODI debutant Renshaw (29). Labuschagne managed only four runs—an unusual slip after trucking along with centuries in both the Shield and One Day Cup cricket. However, Khawaja's innings seemed to restore his confidence.
Khawaja's initial Shield performances included a 69 against Tasmania and 46 and 0 against South Australia. After collecting just 117 runs in six innings against the West Indies and a poor performance in the ICC World Test Championship final against South Africa, Khawaja aims for more game time and high scores ahead of the first Ashes Test on November 21. Labuschagne, prior to this set-back, had a fiery run, amassing 574 runs and four centuries in six innings with an average of 95.66.
Meanwhile, trailing by 92 runs against Western Australia, South Australian skipper McSweeney (103 off 168 balls, with 11 fours and a six) along with Henry Hunt (84 off 197 balls, with eight fours and a six) enabled their side to 297/4, taking a lead of 205 runs. McSweeney had a slow start to his Shield campaign with only 73 runs across the first four innings, posting a best of 41. His performance against India A in subcontinental settings saw him grind out scores of 74 and 85*. Across three Tests against India during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he scored a modest 72 runs in six innings with a high score of 39.
In a separate fixture, Victoria's Campbell Kellaway made a significant contribution, scoring 147 off 258 balls with 16 fours and two sixes, helping set a challenging 355-run target for Tasmania. (ANI)
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