Khawaja was appreciative of all-rounder Cameron Green, who shared a stand of 179 with the left-hander and rescued Australia from a spot of bother at 86/4 to declare at 265/6 and set a target of 388 for England with day five to follow on Sunday.
The previous history suggests all-rounders like Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff, who gave up captaincy after struggling in the role, may prevent England from giving Stokes full-time skipper work in Test cricket.
Openers Zak Crawley and Haseeb Hameed then survived a nervous 11 overs in fading light to get England safely to stumps at 29 without loss.
While none of the England openers has fared well in the series so far, Atherton felt that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) could "invest some time and faith" in the 23-year-old Crawley.
Hazlewood had suffered a side strain in the opening Test at the Gabba, Brisbane and hasn't featured in the series since.
Pope lost his spot in the batting order to Bairstow and wasn't in the starting XI in the Sydney Cricket Ground test, but went on as a substitute fielder when England went out to field on Saturday.
Ashes 2021-22, Australia vs England, 4th Test, Day 4 LIVE: Get the live cricket score, updates, scorecard, ball by ball commentary and highlights between AUS vs ENG from Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney.
The incident happened on the third day of the fourth Ashes Test on Friday when Australian all-rounder Green bowled one that was angled in and left-handed Stokes had shouldered arms, anticipating that the ball would pass by the stumps. But it came back enough to kiss the off-stump.
Khawaja, playing Test cricket after more than two-and-a-half years, ground out a 260-ball 137 as Australia put up an imposing 416 for eight declared on Day 2 of the fourth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The batter scored the tourists' first century in their seventh innings this series to headline a day where England had slumped to 36-4 by lunch before their middle-order counterattacked.
Ashes 2021-22, Australia vs England, 4th Test, Day 3 LIVE: Get the live cricket score, updates, scorecard, ball by ball commentary and highlights between AUS vs ENG from Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney.
Australia, who were 321/6 at Tea, added 95 more runs to their scorecard before declaring their first innings on 416/8 in the third session.
Ashes 2021-22, Australia vs England, 4th Test, Day 2 Highlights: Usman Khawaja scored a sublime 137 as Australia declared their innings at 416/8. England in reply were 13/0 at Stumps on Day 2.
Covid-19 disrupts sports: The new Omicron variant has impacted sports as major sporting leagues like the Ranji Trophy and the Australian domestic league are either being postponed or cancelled.
England trail the ongoing five-match Ashes series 0-3.
On a day marred with frequent rain interruptions, Smith was unbeaten on six and Khawaja was four not out when rain ended play for the day after Warner and Labuschagne perished following a good start.
Ashes 2021-22, Australia vs England, 4th Test, Day 1 LIVE: Get the live cricket score, updates, scorecard, ball by ball commentary and highlights between AUS vs ENG from Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney.
Watch Ashes 2021-22 Live Streaming, Scores, Results, TV Schedule, Match Timings, Venue: Get full details on when and where to watch Australia vs England 4th Test, Day 1 Live from the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney.
Starc has done a turnaround from a below-average performance at the ICC T20 World Cup, and is now averaging more than 50 with the bat and less than 20 with the ball, which could earn him a batting order promotion at the SCG.
Khawaja is the only change announced by Australian Test skipper Pat Cummins after Head -- the hero of the first Test win at The Gabba -- tested COVID-19 positive after the conclusion of the Boxing Day Test.
Top News
Latest News
