• Australia finished the third day of Lord’s Test at 130/2 leading England by 221 runs.

  • Usman Khawaja smashed another fifty and remained unbeaten on 58 runs.

Twitter reactions: Usman Khawaja sizzles as Australia consolidate lead over England on rain-shortened Day 3 of Lord’s Test
Australia extend lead on Day 3 of Lord's Test (Image Source: Twitter)

In a rain-affected day at Lord’s on Friday, opener Usman Khawaja‘s splendid form continued as he anchored Australia’s innings and formed crucial partnerships with David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne, taking Australia’s lead beyond 200 runs in the second Ashes Test against England.

At the close of play on Day 3, Australia stood strong at 130/2, with Khawaja unbeaten on a solid 58 and Steve Smith at the crease on 6*. Notably, the final session began with Australia at 81/1, with Khawaja (45*) and Labuschagne (8*) providing a steady foundation.

Australia reached the 100-run mark in the 35th over, with Khawaja unleashing a powerful shot off Stuart Broad to the fence, simultaneously bringing up his 23rd Test fifty in 105 deliveries. This marked Khawaja’s second half-century of the series, in addition to a century.

Khawaja’s partnership with Labuschagne proved vital as they propelled Australia’s lead past the 200-run mark. However, James Anderson made a breakthrough, dismissing Labuschagne for 30 off 51 balls. At that point, Australia’s score stood at 123/2, after Harry Brook took a comfortable catch at backward point, ending the 60-run partnership.

Unfortunately, rain intervened, forcing a delay in play. The interruption occurred with Australia at 130/2, with Khawaja and Steve Smith standing unbeaten. As the match heads into the fourth day, Australia will look to build on their lead and further solidify their position against a resilient English side.

Brief score: Australia 416 and 130/2 (Usman Khawaja 58*) lead England 325 (Ben Duckett 98, Harry Brook 50, Mitchell Starc 3/88, Travis Head 2/17, Josh Hazlewood 2/71) by 221 runs.

Here is how Twitter reacted:

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