New-look top order crafts near-perfect day for Australia

Usman Khawaja was the 419th man to play Test cricket for Australia, David Warner the 426th. You wouldn't know it from their tally of Test centuries. On the day that Khawaja scored his first, Warner compiled his 13th. That it happened against New Zealand seemed fitting; the last Test between the teams was four years ago, and was the making of Warner and the undoing of Khawaja.

In 2011, they were considered the future stars of Australia's batting order. Now the team will have them both for the foreseeable future. Plus Joe Burns, whose 71 contributed greatly to this being a near-perfect day for Australia. A day on which Australia finished with their highest ever first-day total in a Gabba Test, and went to stumps at 2 for 389.

From the moment Steven Smith won the toss and chose to bat, this day was tantalisingly poised. No Chris Rogers. No Michael Clarke. A top seven in which only Smith and Warner had more than 10 Tests to their name. Muggy conditions, a green tinge to the pitch, a New Zealand swing attack among the best in the world. It could have been a dark day indeed for Australia.

Instead, it was a day on which everything went right. Burns rewarded the selectors for making him Warner's new opening partner. Khawaja repaid the faith of those who chose him for a third crack at Test cricket. New Zealand's bowlers huffed and puffed like they were from Hufflepuff, the team of hard work, fair play, and few rewards.

Perhaps it would have been different had Brendon McCullum hit the stumps with his throw from cover in the tenth over. Burns had pushed, made a nervy call and taken off, and he would have been out for 4. Khawaja comes in early, with the ball still swinging, and who knows? Instead, Khawaja walked out at 1 for 161, comfortable with himself and with the match situation.

It meant he could play with freedom, and a few loose balls from the spin of Mark Craig helped him get away. Khawaja pulled, drove, cut, swept, lofted a couple of sixes dismissively off Craig. His fifty came from 60 balls, his hundred from just 123. It came with a pull for four off Trent Boult, and it came with great emotion, nearly five years after his Test debut.

Khawaja later joked that he had dreamt of making a Test century - literally. "I physically actually dreamt about it once, then I woke up and it was a horrible day," he said. He must have doubted that the reality would ever come, having twice been dropped from the Test team and having suffered a serious knee injury last year that he feared might end his career.

Khawaja was first axed after the Hobart Test against New Zealand four years ago, when he prodded and edged in both innings. He was tentative, not like today. In that match Warner scored a 145-ball century that established his Test credentials; here his hundred came from almost the same number of deliveries - 141 - but such a slow Warner innings is no longer a novelty.

Here, it was Warner who provided the heart of the innings, helping Burns through his first experience as a Test opener. Warner was watchful early, leaving and defending, knowing the shine would disappear off the ball and scoring would become easier. That Australia had 0 for 8 after seven overs did not bother him in the slightest. This was a day to lead by example.

For some time, Warner has been Australia's unofficial captain of vice. Sledging, baiting, punching, online trolling. The man can do it all. How about when the words are reversed? Warner is now his country's official vice-captain and on his first day in the role he lived up to the honour, knuckling down for his longest Test innings, a 224-ball effort that may just set up Australia's summer.

Four years ago Warner made his Test debut at this same ground against this same opposition. It was a match that would test a Twenty20 specialist, and fittingly it was Test No. 2020. It took until his second game in that series to make his mark, when he carried his bat for 123 in Hobart. On that occasion Warner had little support; here he had ample, from Burns and then Khawaja.

The Australians had a little bit of luck. Burns narrowly missed edging a couple of peachy outswingers from Tim Southee early, but no chances were created, no catches missed or taken. New Zealand's discipline started to wane. The bowlers tried too hard instead of concentrating on line and length. The captain tried too hard instead of trusting consistency.

Warner had called McCullum immature during the week; he is far from immature as a man, but there was a hint in his captaincy of a kid setting fields in the old Test Match board game. In the 11th over of the innings, he set an 8-1 off-side field for Southee to Warner. In the space of one ball that changed to 4-5; fielders fled the off side as if a right-hander was suddenly on strike.

If McCullum hoped such moves would throw Warner and Burns off their game, he was mistaken. All it really brought was confusion from his bowlers, who had to chop and change their lines from ball to ball. In the first hour of a Gabba Test, such adventurousness is not required. No chances came until Burns edged behind on 71, in the 39th over.

By then the damage was done. Warner's 13th Test century soon arrived, and then Khawaja's first late in the day. The chance to put pressure on Australia's new top order had evaporated. For New Zealand and Khawaja, this was no Hobart. Australia were pleased that for Warner it was.