On Thursday, January 30, Usman Khawaja etched his name in history by becoming the first Australian cricketer to score a double century in a Test match on Sri Lankan soil. The 38-year-old left-handed batter reached this remarkable milestone during the morning session of the second day’s play in the ongoing first Test between Australia and Sri Lanka in Galle.
Usman Khawaja brought up his double century with a single off the first ball of the 111th over in Australia’s first innings. He reached the landmark on his 290th delivery, having already struck 16 fours and a six.
While Khawaja’s innings was historic for Australia, the record for the highest individual score by a visiting batter in a Test match in Sri Lanka still belongs to Chris Gayle. The former West Indies captain amassed 333 runs from 437 balls against Sri Lanka in a Test held in Galle from November 15 to 19, 2010.
Before Khawaja’s innings, the highest score by an Australian batter in Sri Lanka was 166, a record set by Justin Langer. The former opener and coach had achieved this feat in Colombo (SSC) during a Test match from March 24 to 28 in 2004, where he faced 295 balls to reach his total.
