An overcast first day was brightened by the assured debut of Usman Khawaja.All eyes today were on the beleaguered Australian test team who went into this test without their talismanic skipper Ricky Ponting who has succumbed to his finger injury. This opened the door for Michael Clarke to take over the reins of the test captaincy.
Michael Clarke becomes the forty third test captain of Australia - a position some would say is considered - only half joking - more important than that of the Prime Minister of Australia. Clarke's form since moving up the order from five to four has been horrendous, but in the absence of any other clear cut candidates in this under performing Australian team, Clarke has acceded to the top job almost by default.
Making their debut's for Australia in this test are the batting prodigy Usman Khawaja and the unheralded and relatively unknown left arm tweaker Michael Beer. Khawaja has been knocking on the door of test selection since last summer and is a worthy inclusion. Michael Beer on the other hand is well known only for being a completely illogical selection by the National Selection Panel. I can only hope that Beer makes me eat my words.
On an overcast morning suggesting that there would be considerable life in the pitch in the first session, it came as something of a surprise that upon winning the toss Michael Clarke in his first act as Skipper chose to bat under grey skies. This was perhaps a sign that the Australian camp are jittery at facing Swann on a fourth innings turner at the SCG.
Shane Watson and Phil Hughes strode out with a big act to follow after all the spectacular first session batting collapses this summer. Much to their credit, both batsmen played with remarkable restraint completely alien to their normal attacking games.
The pitch was rather challenging, but both Watson and Hughes advanced the score slowly but surely in a risk free manner. The opening stand had reached a commendable fifty five when Hughes faced up to the last over by Tremlett before lunch when off the third ball Hughes hung the bat outside his body to a delivery that he had left alone all morning, only for it to catch the edge of his bat and fly straight to Collingwood at third slip.
Hughes thumped his bat into his pad in anger at himself as he walked off with all the players following him for the lunch interval. Hughes innings of thirty one had been an innings of maturity and promise from the young opener. In terms of technique, there were great signs in the manner in which Hughes went about his business, suggesting better days lay ahead.
New boy Usman Khawaja must have had a rather nervy lunch as he waited for the second session to start and what would be the start to his test career. The debutant number three was born in Islamabad and moved with his cricket mad family to Australia as a toddler. Now he was the first Australian of Pakistani origin and Muslim persuasion to pull on the baggy green cap...how would the Australian public take to him?
Usman Khawaja played some wonderful strokes in his debut innings of 37.
The wait was worth it, as Khawaja strode to the wicket, the 42,000 first day Sydney crowd gave him a standing ovation all the way to the wicket that must surely have moved him and told him something - Australia was behind him.
Tremlett delivered Khawaja's first ball in test cricket and the young lad clipped the ball to leg for two to tumultuous applause from the stands. The very next ball Tremlett bowled a bouncer and the young left hander swivelled and played a delightful hook shot for four runs to the delirious acclaim of the crowd. I involuntarily uttered the words "a star is born!" I am sure many around Australia were thinking the same thing.
There was something about Khawaja today that reminded me of Brian Charles Lara - sacrilegious as it may be to make comparisons. I am not sure whether it was the high back lift, the crouched stance, or the easy stroke play - but Usman Khawaja simply oozed class. In Australian cricket's dark hour, a new hero has emerged like a ray of sunlight.
Khawaja's mother was seen in the stands to be whispering her incantations to the almighty Allah to assist her son. All around the nation, Australian cricket followers of many different religious persuasions - and some atheists too one imagines joined Mrs Khawaja in uttering hasty orisons to the almighty. A mothers prayers were answered, and with Usman's cool assurance at the crease, a nations prayers were answered too.
Watson and Khawaja put on a valuable fifty run stand when Watson who had been strangely subdued all day finally fell when he edged a widish delivery from Bresnan to slip that like Hughes earlier - Watson could have left well alone. As the ball left the edge of Watson's bat, Watson audibly groaned an exasperated "oh no" that was picked up by the stump mic. Watson's innings of forty five was yet another innings of unrequited reward for effort in a litany of unfulfilled starts this summer.
This brought new captain Michael Clarke to the wicket in a situation that was crying out for a captains knock. Sadly, straight after the rain delay Clarke cut a ball too close to him straight to Anderson at gully at an easy catchable height. Clarke's run of outs continued as he perished for four.
Hussey joined Khawaja in the middle and the young tyro and the old pro were left with the task of rebuilding Australia's innings which hit some turbulence after the promising opening stand of Hughes and Watson. It was with some sadness that Khawaja's debut knock came to an end when he top edged an ambitious sweep to Trott at square leg to be out for a polished thirty seven.
As Khawaja left the field of combat to a standing ovation, he must have been furious with himself at his sudden break in concentration as the rain started to fall on him and the rest of the players left the field for the last time in a rain truncated first day. Hussey remained twelve not out and Australia were now a precarious 4 for 135.
For England, both Tremlett and Bresnan bowled splendidly, whilst Anderson was not his usual self. England will feel that they took the honours on the first day - but the Australian batsmen all contributed to their own demise and they all will be disappointed with themselves.
Australia has endured a nightmare summer, but today amidst the Sydney gloom, perhaps a few rays of light have broken through to reveal a promising future.
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