Khawaja delights fans with bright start - Ninemsn

For Australia's cricket fans it was a case of love at second ball.

Usman Khawaja had already recorded the two biggest cheers of the opening day's play in the fifth Ashes Test when he tamed the English monster known as Chris Tremlett with an elegant pull shot off just his second delivery faced as a Test cricketer.

As the ball raced to the boundary a third cheer, louder than that which greeted the 24-year-old in his walk to the crease or when he tucked Tremlett off his hip first ball for a tidy two, roared from the 43,502 fans at the SCG.

Surely cheering loudest of all would have been a pocket of Khawaja's family and friends in the Ladies Pavilion, including his extremely proud parents Tariq and Fauzia.

If anything the spectators seemed more relieved than ice-cool No.3 batman Khawaja, who didn't seem fazed in the slightest to be on debut in place of injured skipper Ricky Ponting in front of a full house and against a strong England bowling line-up.

Having striven much of his life for the opportunity, Australia's first Muslim Test cricketer looked immediately at ease.

The Pakistan-born left-hander didn't even look that worried when an edge while he was on seven fell just short of England's slip cordon.

At last downtrodden Australian fans, dismayed at their team's at times woeful performance against the Auld Enemy this summer, had a reason to cheer as a new hero emerged.

Khawaja showed greater poise than most senior players around him as Australia's struggling top order once more failed to make the English sweat.

Openers Phillip Hughes and Shane Watson were guilty of not building on starts while new skipper Michael Clarke could only make a scratchy four before being caught in the gully.

The game seemed to gain a new energy whenever Khawaja was on strike before he top-edged a sweep shot off spinner Graeme Swann straight to Jonathan Trott and was dismissed on 37.

It was over too soon for the batsman, his family and most ofthe crowd but the indications were that Khawaja has what it takes to forge a long Test career.