We got them a couple of months after we got back from the UK.
So I guess end of 2019.
We hung up the World Cup one,
and then I was like, "Oh, I think this one will look really nice here."
Usman was like, "Nah.
I don't wanna to put that one up."
I've played 44 Test matches for Australia.
At the end of the Ashes, I got dropped out
from the Headingley Game.
It was just like a knife to my heart.
Grim-looking Usman Khawaja
leaves the field today.
After he'd been dropped, I've tried to say to him
you're not gonna look back and think,
"Oh, that was my last Test match."
But I guess I didn't realize how hard it hit him
at the time.
It's tough. No one sees that side of cricket,
they only see the good stuff.
When you're away and you get dropped and you've got nothing to do,
you're just waiting to really get home.
I kind of considered that that was my last Test.
So, this was the full stop.
He's extremely humble
and sometimes I think he forgets what he's already achieved.
It was just-- it felt really dark at that moment.
My window, when I could have played for Australia again,
just gone.
- You hold that thought. - Ooh. What have you got there?
- Okay. Ready. - Stop.
- Set. And... - Pull.
...pull. Oh!
Can I see that?
That week leading into the Boxing Day Test is awesome.
It's a great build-up.
Just the festive spirit.
Hello.
The sort of nerves that you get quickly just go away.
It's that time of the year, just sit down,
have some ham and a beer, enjoy family time.
Hello to you, hello.
It's a special time.
It's something that when I first came into that side
and I was involved in, you know, home summer,
it was awesome.
- It's snowing everywhere.
And I mean, the cricket all runs up
to that big MCG Test.
Ninety thousand coming out to watch day one.
The seriousness of the locker room spots,
if you stood next to Marnus, basically you're, you're screwed.
Khawajy, you took five minutes.
- It's already my spot. - All right. You got it. Yes.
He's one of the messiest blokes in our group.
His mess just expands.
Well, I--I'm not saying I'm not messy,
but I'm certainly not the messiest.
I mean, Steve Smith has to have a whole--like,
well, he's got four spots.
The bad ones are the batters.
Us bowlers, we save our energy for the field,
because as soon as you get out the change room,
the batters don't talk.
Don't laugh, you did it on purpose.
I mean, that's what makes a cricket team
so enjoyable to be around.
It's the different characters, the different personalities.
It's something we speak about creating an environment
where not just training and playing wise,
where it's up to you to prepare your own way
and get what you need.
But it's also you as a person
creating an atmosphere where you can be yourself.
Wear a nice shirt, man.
- You're not well.
- Put a shirt on, you - Not well?
The relationship between Marnus and Steve,
well, I actually don't even know what to say about it.
I am the Iron Man.
You're the idiot.
I actually got no idea because it's so strange.
You've got to take the piss out of him for sure.
You've got to let him know...
who's the boss essentially.
Big brother, little brother.
That is the relationship I see.
Marnus, yeah.
Number one batsman in the world.
But he's not the big dog in that relationship.
You got one of the greatest of all time right there next to you.
- Yeah. You look good. - Yes.
Obviously, the closer we've gotten, there is more banter.
- Yeah, you're horrible at tennis sport. - No.
- You--no. - Oh, you blockhead.
- That's true. - Don't you throw in my racket.
A lot of chirp, like, you know, "I'm better than you,
you're better than me at table tennis."
And I was two sets up, and he just turned around,
with just a little-- right into the back there.
They're just always bickering at each other.
Smudge knows how to stir him up.
Marnus knows how to stir Smudge up.
I know how to stir both of them.
So you want the first hit?
- No, you want the first. - Oh!
And he came--and that is one of the great comebacks.
- That's a lot. That's a lot. - Doesn't know what he did.
Is Steve my favourite person to bat with?
Um, see, no.
And he'll understand why.
It's like batting with a chalkboard.
He just stays on his own.
You get nothing.
Well, I actually think Steve loves Marnus
more than what Marnus loves Steve.
I feel like you were going wide.
- Double. - You went to double?
Yeah. I think at the start it was more Marnus with Smithy,
but I think it sort of turned because Smithy sort of found someone else
who loves cricket as much as he does.
I like it when it's
We love the game.
We love talking about the game,
trying to find ways to improve
and get each other better.
Yes, Smudger. That's delightful.
I knew Smudger before he became "besties" with Marnus.
He was a very different person.
Yes. My goodness, that's delightful.
I said to Smudge, "I love playing with you
so much more now,"
and I feel like it's because of Marnus.
I reckon Marnus had really just relaxed him.
That's junk.
Whatever it may be, Smudge is very different now
than he used to be too, which I love.
And now to sport, the future
of Australian men's cricket coach, Justin Langer,
remains up in the air.
The tensions around Justin Langer's position
as coach were inescapable.
Justin Langer is chasing a new contract
to continue coaching the Australian team.
He's out of contract at the conclusion of this summer.
So, the question is whether he's going to look to re-sign.
So, interesting to see how that one plays out.
No matter what had happened on the field,
this undercurrent continued.
Would you like to continue steering the ship in,
- in all forms of the game? - Yes.
I've never thought differently, to be honest.
Heading into the Boxing Day Test,
Australia is 2-0 up and intent
on taking England by the throat.
Pat Cummins is returning from the COVID protocols,
but Josh Hazlewood is injured
and doesn't appear likely to play.
What does Australia do with its bowling stocks?
you go take out there.
- Yeah. - It's pretty big, big dogs.
Have you got on the phone or...
is coming down.
I was saying to Starcy, I said,
"What, another three or four overs you reckon?
- He goes, "Own your space skipper." - Really?
He's gone, "I'll stop when I want to stop."
- I'm just like, yep, cool. - Own your space.
Gold, I love it. Own your space is that good.
All right. Here we go.
Any thoughts on selection?
Is Boland the right person
on this surface versus Neser?
That to me becomes the question.
Yeah, it is that question.
On the one hand, you had Michael Neser just debuted,
pink-ball, swing bowling.
That's kind of his forte.
Or you got Scott Boland, MCG's home,
flat wicket.
You just know what you're gonna get.
I reckon Boland really.
And that's what I'm saying, Boland is so jumpy.
And they communicate that to be consistent with Neser
while ten years prior to his career,
plays a Test, does a pretty good job.
We actually haven't been jumped,
so that's what we've got to be-- guys got to be consistent with,
and you've got to be careful with.
Michael Neser becomes your perennial reserve.
Everybody knows he's good enough to play,
but there's no support within the team for him.
Get given the go and then not have another chance
to prove yourself.
Yeah, I was definitely shattered.
But they wanted somebody with experience at MCG,
and Boland is gonna be selected.
It's a tricky one because you're all mates
and then you're all fighting for the same spot.
But I was so happy for Scotty.
Who is Scott Boland?
That was a good question.
I knew very little about Scott Boland
and I don't think many of the-- of my colleagues did either.
He could have comfortably walked down the main thoroughfare
pretty well anonymous.
It's-- Scotty was sitting here
and Ussie walked in, and it was just like
over near the coffee machine
instead of--instead of where he was,
full mental Balboni and Ussie is not even playing.
Standard Usman really.
Yeah, how is he gonna earn his turf?
- He's gotta... - Ussie, you're such a prick.
Scotty's such an oddball too.
In my defence, I did ask him to watch movies, he said no.
That's all I can do. That's all I can do.
I remember where I sat in the room
and it's not where I usually sit for Victoria.
I was next to the fridges
and the catering table and the coffee machine.
Scott Boland really deserved this opportunity.
He's been a stalwart for the Victorian team for years.
He's been a professional cricketer for probably 12 years.
And this is his first time playing for Australia.
Might not ever get that chance again.
My goal going into the start of this year
was to try and get into a Test squad,
but it's pretty hard to get selected.
Maybe a few hundred professional male cricketers in Australia
all want to be in a Test squad or a One Day squad,
so everyone's got the same goal.
There was a lot of significance coming into this Test Match.
Scott Boland, only the fourth indigenous person
to play for Australia, only the second indigenous male.
And our record really of promoting indigenous cricketers
in Australia is a shameful one.
Australia's fallen well short of where it should be.
The MCG, starting to fill up.
Such a great atmosphere at this famous ground.
Boxing Day is such a great event.
You're nervous for the players as a supporter.
It is one of the biggest sporting days
on the calendar in Australia.
I think all teams around the world know
that Boxing Day Test is peak, let alone an Ashes Boxing Day Test.
What a time for Scott Boland too, 32 years of age,
you might not have thought he was ever gonna play for Australia.
If you could now, please, be up standing
as we welcome Senior Wurundjeri elder Aunty Joy Wandin Murphy
who will conduct the Welcome to Country.
Today, we're very honoured and we congratulate
our own Scott Boland for his debut Test match.
Leading up to that Test, we were 2-0 up.
I think once you're 2-0 up, it just gives you so much confidence.
You just go out there, you go, "Okay. We've got them on the ropes here.
We just got to keep jabbing, keep putting them under the pressure
and they're gonna crack."
Australia, 2-0 up in the series.
Pat Cummins back in, wins the toss, elects to bowl.
Is there noise? There it is.
I like it, the Australians, it's Captain Pat.
That's bowling perfection from the Australian Captain.
It's taken by Green.
Australia wants to be as ruthless as possible.
And they could smell blood.
This bloke is platinum balls.
We've had a few golden balls come through,
but this bloke is something else.
And a pretty big moment
is about to arrive for the Victorian.
Gets his chance on Boxing Day.
Leading up to the game was a bit of a blur so...
I can't remember any of that. But I remember
I was, like, really shaken and pretty nervous.
Debut in an Ashes Game
- at the MCG. - Not easy to lose.
Boland, is it his first Test wicket?
It is his first Test wicket!
I've been always-- I always got one wicket,
and they couldn't take that away from me.
Well, he's connected to this one, Ollie Robinson.
But it's fallen into the hands
of Scott Boland.
And Australia wrap up the innings 185.
Job well done from the bowlers.
England obviously out cheaply,
but then James Anderson proving
why he is one of the best bowlers in the world.
Squeezed away and there it is.
Jimmy Anderson gets the massive wicket.
Warner goes and that's the wicket England needed.
- Yeah! - Got him.
James Anderson breaks through.
It was just such a strange Test match.
That was so many wickets.
England are sneaking themselves
back in the Test match.
In the end Jimmy Anderson with his fourth.
Got 'em.
What a great effort from the England side.
They showed some character.
It's been a great contest today.
England have got themselves brought back in the Test match.
Heading into that second innings, England are only 80 runs behind.
They weren't out of this game.
We're from Gulidjan tribe, at like the Colac area up in Victoria.
And my granddad was originally from there.
He sort of got taken away from that area.
He was adopted when he was young,
and it was always sort of a bit
of an untold story there.
We found out about our indigenous heritage
after granddad passed away,
which was probably ten, 15 years ago now.
How old are these ones?
I think growing up not knowing about our family heritage
and then wanting to learn more about it now
me and my brother have gotten a bit older,
I think it's really helped we've had people
to lean on and talk to,
and they can teach us stuff about our aboriginal history
that well we once would have known.
I understand. Oh, we're gonna just walk out
for a second.
Okay
- Go, go, go. Yeah! - Oh, strike.
So I'm the second male aboriginal Test cricketer.
At the moment, I've got a great opportunity to come out
to remote areas of Australia
and try and help promote cricket to these communities.
And hopefully over time that we can get more indigenous--
like, young indigenous boys and girls to play more cricket
and for cricket to be a bit more mainstream.
The best way for me to be a role model is to keep playing cricket.
He hit it.
Keep going.
And keep being seen,
because you can't be what you can't see.
Australia doesn't have an overwhelming ascendancy
in the test match after two innings,
and the Ashes are on the line.
We've got about an hour's cricket left.
Australia lead by 82.
England clinging on with their fingertips at the moment.
There's the edge. It didn't take long.
That poorly, out to 5, 1-7.
And you can hear the noise now.
Oh. That's close. They like an Australian confirmation.
And it has given England the worst
possible start to the second innings.
They are 2-7.
Got 25 minutes of play
remaining for the day.
They just can't afford to lose any more wickets tonight.
I think we had about ten overs to bowl that night
and I was hoping to try and get an over to win.
I only bowled 13 overs in the first innings.
I remember going off the ground once we bowl them out
being like, "Oh, jeez, I'm tired."
I think it was just a build-up of the nerves.
I just fatigued a bit quicker than I normally do.
And Scott Boland must jag a wicket here
in front of his home crowd with ten minutes to go.
So much tension in the air.
Something I dreamed of as a kid.
I didn't think it was gonna happen and now I was living it out,
so, yeah, I was very nervous.
My hands are really sweaty
and gripping the ball even firmer than normal.
England survived another delivery.
That's what it's come to.
Don't stress too hard. Don't grip the ball too hard.
Just try and bowl it that fast, to not be as safe.
You'll be comfortable enough to do that stuff.
Eight minutes to go.
He doesn't want to make any mistakes.
Oh, and it brings the MCG to its feet.
England, another blow, 3-22.
Wow, there's another jackpot from the pink Victorian,
he came steaming in.
Jack Leach, he's got six minutes to survive.
Running in from around the wicket to a left hander,
I can still, sort of, see all the stumps.
I was like, go on, it's yours, man. I've got all the stumps here.
Bowling again. Look at that cordon behind him.
Oh, man!
Boland's on fire on the G,
and England they are crashing down.
Listen to the noise, Healy.
Banging the seats of the MCG.
Their local man's up 2 in the over.
ENGLAND 4-23
Extraordinary era of Test cricket is.
Wow. England in all sorts of trouble with.
Boy, that's how you handle cricket right there.
Fuck that was loud.
England thought they clawed their way back into the series,
but then Australia just stamped their authority.
They did.
All right. Today just--it's not gonna happen that quickly most likely.
They might take a couple of sessions,
they might battle it out, just hang in there.
Have another great day.
They trail by 51 at the moment.
Can they manufacturer over a 150, 200 run lead
to put Australia under pressure?
It was one of the most intoxicating passages
of the play last night late.
Scott Boland featured 2-1 in 1 over.
I'm feeling pretty good.
I got two wickets for no runs.
And I also was thinking how much it would be wonderful
to get another wicket.
Baits him again.
And he's given in!
Boland continuing on
from last night's heroics.
Scotty Boland,
1.5 overs,
3 for 5.
Scotty Boland can do no wrong.
I was feeling pretty good, like, the ball was coming out
where it was going where I want it to go.
Like, I held the ball a little bit differently to where I usually hold,
just try and get the ball to go the other way,
try and get an edge.
It's taken, Boland.
Unbelievable.
Knocks over the England Skipper.
Scotty Boland is living out his dreams
at the MCG.
Boland just got in that corner, like, it was absolutely ridiculous.
I've never seen anything like it.
Boland now 4, beaten the 5 runs.
You got 4 for .
They're gonna be pretty happy.
Just had bowls coming out to--
ask me to, yeah, keep bowling.
Boland is now one away from the 5 for here at the G.
Strike
Scotty Boland has taken 5.
The man can do no wrong in front of his home crowd.
5-5.
"I was at the MCG the day Scotty Boland went 5-5,"
is what everyone will be saying about him here tonight.
I still can't believe what happened.
The whole morning just happened so fast.
I probably didn't have enough time to take a leak.
I've never seen anything like it.
It, it was just--it was-- it was unbelievable.
Dad was working that morning.
He was walking to the ground, listening along just fine.
He was hoping to get there before the last wicket happened
but he just missed it.
- And another. - And again,
Boland's got 6 at the G.
Build the man a statue.
Build the man a statue. That was it.
I hear it all the time from people just yelling it out,
like, a lot.
What is happening here, Howie?
Scotty Boland
has got 6-5 at the MCG
and the Ashes are one wicket away.
Well, I'll tell you what, just retire,
retire after today's play by Scotty Boland,
this will not be surpassed.
6-5.
Scotty to become a cult hero
in a matter of, like, an hour or whatever it was,
it was amazing.
The second best figures ever in an Ashes Test Match,
I think it was on his debut, it--it's dream world, isn't it?
Six for seven. It's ridiculous.
The smallest of thumbs up from the hometown hero.
I was going for ten, I was--
I was probably a bit embarrassed but I didn't really know
what was going on or how to feel.
Scotty is quite a shy guy.
He's never played much cricket in front of big crowds
and then to have suddenly the whole crowd
already cheering for--cheering for you.
I wouldn't say it looked natural for Scotty
because he's just--he's too humble.
They're one wicket away.
One wicket away from the Ashes.
Boland! There it is.
The Australians up.
They retain the Ashes
on the back of a hometown hero,
destroying England
at innings of 14 runs, 3-0.
Dominance. Dominance from the home side.
Culturally, this is a profound moment.
One man soars above all others.
It's there in the welcome to country.
It's there in the presentation of the Johnny Mullagh Medal.
This is the Cathy Freeman moment.
It's been a great honour
that we recognize and celebrate and congratulate you Scott
as one of our very own.
From the 1868 tour, that was the aboriginal team
that went over to England with the first Australians born
intending to leave the shores to go play sport in another country.
And Johnny Mullagh was their star all-rounder.
Now he's got the Boxing Day play of the match named after him.
I just think it was a huge inspiration to all those
that perhaps didn't feel that cricket was a sport for them.
It's a pretty special moment for me personally
and to the aboriginal community.
Yeah. I mean, it made my family proud.
Love you
It's pretty good that Scotty made it to the match and gets that medal.
Seven chances and twenty-four balls at the MCG?
That just doesn't happen.
Doesn't happen.
Well, it does, Kerry, it just did.
Just a fairy-tale, not only the Scotty bit, to retain the Ashes.
It's really, um--it's, uh,
I think a really proud moment for Aussie cricket.
Normally, MCG is a test match where all the families come for Christmas,
trying to get them into the change room after game.
Our team manager Gav came after and goes, "Mate, COVID protocols,
they're not gonna be able to come in the change room.
I was like, "Oh." But we can get them outside.
I was like, "Oh, like in the park?"
He's like, "No, no, out in the field." I was like, "Oh, awesome."
With the big speaker, everything out into the field
and it was one of those magic afternoons.
And that's who we play for and--and who support us the most
is the family, so to have a little fella running around on the G.
Lots of other kids were playing on the pitch we just won the Ashes on.
It's what makes the Australian cricket team so special
is to make it a really family environment.
Clear summer's day,
pretty amazing place to lie around on the grass
and have a few beers.
So much fun. So much fun.
That summer you cherish for the rest of your life.
You should pick up the stumps and put it back in the hole.
Over there?
For me to have my kids out there,
they wouldn't understand what the moment means,
but something that I've dreamed of and always wanted to do to play cricket so.
- I can do it. - I've got to do it.
We've won the Ashes and then we got to celebrate
- with them out on the ground. - It must be down there.
What about monkey?
I'd never change my debut game for anything.
- But you have monkey. - Okay.
I was born in Pakistan and we moved here when I was four years old.
A lot of the times, the school was only maybe
two or three coloured kids...
...but mostly just white Australian kids around me, so
...you're very lucky to have lots of multicultural kids around you.
When you were young, did people judge you
on how you were and what you thought about?
Yup.
You gotta realize I grew up in Australia in 1990s
and people didn't even know what Islam really was back then.
People would automatically just assume I was from India.
They thought Hinduism and--and Islam was the same thing.
And they asked me why don't I wear a turban.
Because of that, I felt judged.
I used to be called a lot of names,
curry-muncher, you know, derogatory terms.
I never let them show that it hurt me, but it did.
Particularly if you look slightly different,
you're gonna get people who try to bring you down.
And you got to have faith in yourself.
Most of the time, people do that is because
they're afraid of what they don't know.
They're afraid of what they don't understand.
Do we have another question? Beautiful.
What's your favourite part about playing cricket?
My favourite part about playing cricket is being in a team.
My brothers will tell you that, when I--they beat me in anything,
I wasn't a very good loser. I--I used to throw things at them.
I used to cry.
But when I was in a team with cricket,
I felt like we were all a part of something.
So when we win, we can celebrate together,
but when we lost, we also had each other.
That's the part that I love about team sports
because you actually share something together.
Don't lose the paper now, all right? Don't lose it.
When I was about ten, I remember going to like this
cricket camp and Allan Border and Matthew Hayden was there.
If it's anything like that, then it makes a big difference,
because I'm 35 now and I still remember it.
- You still remember? - Yeah.
Hopefully, I give same impact to them.
There are no Muslim-Australian role models that I can think of growing up,
so I can share my experience with them,
even if they're hard things to talk about.
It wasn't like I had a poster on the wall and, like, I aim to be
in this dream team again.
It was as far from that as possible.
I resigned to the fact that I was getting older.
I was out of the team.
I was just so grateful for the journey up to that point.
Thank you God for giving me 44 games.
At the end of the day, the biggest thing
for me is just trusting God's plan.
I think a lot of the bad things that happen in your life are a blessing.
And when the good things happen, whatever happens,
you just say Alhamdulillah, and then, you just let it go.
- Yeah
- All right. - I would be
- no problem. - Yeah
- nice to meet you. - Likewise.
Hello, son, how are you doing?
Oh, you got it.
Life could be way worse, so I was in a really good spot.
You're a lefty, are you?
I genuinely thought,
"No, I'm probably not gonna play for Australia again."
Breaking news, Australian batsman, Travis Head
has tested positive to COVID-19,
so unavailable for the Test in Sydney.
Reports too that Usman Khawaja will replace him.
"Oh, shit.
I'm actually probably gonna be playing the next match here."
It wasn't even probably. It was like, "Oh, shit.
I'm gonna be playing the next match here."
- Oh - Yeah, yeah
When you're 12th man, you wait for everyone else to battle.
And 13th man, you wait for them then you come right at the end.
I just put my pads on and I remember Andrew McDonald
because I'm in the team already.
I see him, I'm like, "Who else are you gonna pick?"
Okay. You must be session, you and I?
- No. It's just--it was just decided. - Decided.
Yeah. Yeah.
Boland's not here. Harry is not here.
I'll just move myself up the pecking order.
I went in and had a hit, had an absolute stink.
I got out of there five or six time.
I'm thinking, "Ooh, this is not a good start."
We're walking back and going back to and I'm like,
"I'm not really batting very good right now."
so is it just
or is it Khawaja should be out there?
I didn't says yes.
Yeah. Uzi is straight near five.
Have you settled on an eleven?
Yes, we have.
Uh, just one change, Uzi Khawaja comes in for Travis Head.
And it hasn't happened for a long time.
But sense of like nerves came and I was like, "Oh, crap, okay."
At 35 to get another chance, uh, I'm gonna tell you, that's just...
Unusual for Australia to pick a player in his mid-30s,
but, uh, I think it was a recognition
that you couldn't really deny Khawaja the opportunity.
It's taken!
And the breakthrough.
Labuschagne, gone early, and that is a big opening now for England.
After a couple of years out of Test side,
Usman Khawaja comes in for his 45th test match.
And he's coming in at a very important stage.
Australia's first innings and pushing.
I guess at the end of day, Heady getting COVID and me coming in,
was such an unlikely scenario,
and then all I want to do in that Test match,
don't get a duck.
Khawaja just searching for that first run.
Still gotta get it.
Probably in the back of his mind he's, like,
"I've only got one opportunity here.
If I don't get any runs, I'm probably back out."
They have sensed a moment here they've kept him on naught.
There are moments in time in a test match
where you sometimes wonder about they're all on, they're all ready.
I had my heart rate monitor on.
And I think I faced maybe 20 balls that night.
It was just like 180 beats the whole way through.
I could feel my heart just going .
Yes.
Khawaja takes it on
and gets things out of the way with a fine boundary.
And I hit that first pull shot for four, and I was just like,
"Oh, thank you." I was like, "I'm off the mark."
Now whatever happens, happens, I couldn't give a crap.
Again.
Every run I got was enjoyment.
Every boundary I got was fine.
Wow, what a shot by Usman.
What a shot.
He knows what shots he can play.
He knows when to play them.
This is exquisite.
Yes.
I look up, I got 20.
I'm like, "That's pretty cool." No duck, 20.
Good work. Good work."
Look up again, 40, I'm like, "Ooh, I can get a 50 here."
That'll be his 50.
Back to Test Cricket at the SCG,
it's been a while, and it's been a good inning so far.
Getting 50 and then I'm thinking, "Okay, all right, it's not bad.
I'll just keep rolling with this and--and if I do it, a 70."
Yes.
Beautifully put away.
Khawaja is on a roll.
He's got a beautiful rhythm to his innings at the moment.
And then I got to 80 and then 90, I'm like,
"Ooh, okay. All right. All right."
Four to Usman Khawaja into the over 99.
When we get to the last two overs,
and I was on 99.
And Paddy just starts blocking in,
I'm like, "What are you doing, Paddy?
Get me down the other end."
I don't wanna go in tea break on 99.
And this one's Paddy to get off strike.
It's that last pull over and I hit a single up,
my first single, and now the whole crowd booed me.
Oh, okay.
Oh, Paddy takes the single.
I was just happy to get a single.
That's funny. I'm quite of it.
Deep down inside I was, like, "Paddy, you idiot. What are you doing?"
Five balls to go before the tea interval.
has already two balls in.
Works the single.
Crowd enjoys it. Three balls Usman Khawaja.
I wasn't expecting to score 100, you just can't.
But it's, it's a no matter what.
Best players in the world will score 30 hundreds in their entire career,
and they're the greats of the game.
So it doesn't happen every day.
Khawaja on 99.
Back in the test side.
Whips it. And whips it well.
Khawaja the comeback kid.
A ninth Test 100 for Usman Khawaja,
of course, he's back and he's being and he's better than ever.
And pumped about it.
For everything to pan out at this exact point,
this exact time for me to get 100 at this exact moment
is just so...
My wife is up there, Aisha,
I couldn't be more proud.
I still get the tingles thinking about that moment.
Beautiful innings from Usman Khawaja, 137.
A standing ovation here at the SCG.
- That's great.
Aisha, what's daddy doing?
She will figure it out.
Aisha
what was Aisha
Yeah. Proper moment where his kids
- jump on him when he prayed. - Yeah.
So I tell Rachel first time was I was praying with Aisha...
- A lovely show when you guys... - Yeah.
...prayed, I was, like, "Oh, Aisha, come on, like, out of the room."
And Usman's "Oh no, like, she can stay here."
I don't know how he keeps concentration.
Like, sometimes I'm, like, trying not to, like, wet myself laughing
because she's like, "Oh," like this in his face.
And, like, touching him and he's so concentrated,
like, it's pretty impressive.
- Yeah. It's - Yeah.
England gathering the depth at 122.
- Can they rip into Australia Vaughny? - Probably half.
Can they give themselves an opportunity?
For me, it was like, well, I still don't think
I'm gonna be playing the next game.
Like, if I was the selector,
I'd drop me just from what I think is best for the team.
Heading into the second innings,
when Usman walks out there with his bat,
could have gone either way, the game and the rest of Usman's career.
I mean, I'd be surprised if the changed the team.
They're gonna drop Khawaja, is that what you mean?
Well, I'm leaving him out.
It'll be unfortunate for Usman.
That's cricket. I mean, it's a tough game.
You can be on top of the world, everything at your feet,
and then next minute you're, you know,
you're getting scrapped away for someone else.
Oh, cops out as well.
I think this way really go to grab a chance here, not going for Khawaja
and suddenly a carry for the balls to come
and suddenly it's game on.
I think life is more important than cricket.
Good thing is gonna happen.
Shit's gonna happen.
You can't control any of that.
Just enjoy life for what it is.
Takes it on. Very impressively Usman Khawaja.
To be a performer in any sport, especially in cricket,
you need to be very even keeled.
The bad times far outweigh the good times.
It's just the nature of the game. The game is hard.
Oh, Momma.
This isn't the easiest pitch to bet on.
There is some uneven bounced.
If you get too high when you're doing well,
this game will knock you straight back down.
But if you get too low in this game, it knocks you down too.
It's very hard to come back up.
Oh, you can see he's a bit nervous Green,
he is a bit short on confidence with the bat Green.
It's a game built upon favours,
so you need to find a place where you can keep a consistency.
There's not too many people that's better to watch
when they're batting well than Usman Khawaja.
Usman Khawaja.
He moves in to the 90s.
Okay.
And you almost sit back and go,
"How is this bloke not in the team for two years?"
At our age now, you, you play with freedom.
You know, this could be the end, it could be the last game.
You just never know.
Khawaja, 98.
Yes. Throw. Throw.
He wants two. He's coming back.
There it is.
Raised arm, back to back 100s.
He moves into special company.
What a magical moment for Usman Khawaja
here at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Probably the count dropping
I've always had a saying. The saying Islam called Alhamdulillah,
and it means "praise be to God."
And we say, Alhamdulillah, for when something good happens,
and we say Alhamdulillah for when something bad happens.
Always Alhamdulillah.
If you can look in my last couple of years,
you can see how good has come out of something
really, really crap for me.
And that cycle will repeat itself again, I'm sure,
but it's something that makes me accept everything that happens
and, and allows me to be a good person.
An incredible Test match
that finishes after five days
in the most dramatic of draws.
Couple of years ago, the last couple years,
I didn't know if I was able to go back here.
Everything I do now is a bonus.
Um, playing for the Australian Cricket Team is something I cherish
just about as much as anything.
And, you know, I'm very fortunate.
And I talk about a lot my family came out here for Pakistan.
And we live in a beautiful country.
Um, beautiful place.
So every day I spend here with all you great buds
and my family, I appreciate it, so thank you, guys.
- Woo!
Yup. Oh, and takes it.
Stunning sentry.
It's his fourth test and his second in the series.
Travis Head maturing before our very eyes.
Bowled in, that's it. It's all over.
Australia win in Hobart, they win the fifth Test.
And more importantly, they win this Ashes Series 4-0.
Oh, that's a big win for Australia.
Whoa!
There's a moment as Captain, I thought,
"Okay, this team is something really-- there's something special here."
Australia completely dominant
and that faith of the Australian Cricket Team
was restored once again after another shaky period
in the build-up.
And what special times...
It was almost incongruous.
The team was playing powerful, unified, commanding cricket.
But there were rumblings behind the scenes
and disaffection between coach and player group.
Yeah.
Obviously there was a lot of chat behind the scenes about
a bit of unrest after The Ashes was finished.
It started to all unravel.
It was pretty much national whitewash.
You don't get rid of a coach after that.
Justin Langer, I mean, he's a baggy green.
And of course, now we're gonna find out whose team it is.