Khawaja and Carey Shine as England Squanders Ashes Opportunities Against Australia
Steve Smith was absent due to an inner-ear issue, prompting Australia to reshuffle their XI and move Usman Khawaja down the batting order. Khawaja responded with a crucial 82, sparing nine overs at the top during Jofra Archer's initial bowling spell and benefiting from a fielding error by Brook at slip.
Alex Carey, meanwhile, scored his second century of the year, guiding Australia's innings from 85 to 321. A strategic batting-order reshuffle saw Green promoted to No. 5, Carey at No. 6, and Inglis at No. 7, contributing to the team's mid-innings recovery.
Despite several top-order dismissals that yielded little impact, Khawaja's and Carey's flexible performances allowed Australia to prevail. England's bowling attack, relying on medium-fast seamers with the wicketkeeper up to the stumps, failed to contain the Australian batsmen.
Analysts suggest that England's only chance to shift momentum lies in a decisive brute-force approach: taking two wickets and then batting for five sessions in challenging conditions. Otherwise, the series outcomes seem left to fate or probability, as Australia capitalized on opportunities despite missing key players like Smith, Cummins, Hazlewood, and Lyon.
