Khawaja has been told by the ICC to keep his humanitarian appeal for the people of Palestine away from the cricket field. He was officially warned for wearing a black armband during the first Test between Australia and Pakistan in Perth.
He wanted to sport a black dove on his shoe and bat in the upcoming Boxing Day Test but even that was rejected by the ICC, and Holding says he is not “surprised” by their stance of “hypocrisy”.
“The ICC regulations say re messaging ‘approval shall not be granted for messages which relate to political, religious or racial activities or causes,” Holding explained.
“So how the f*** people were allowed to take a knee for BLM (Black Lives Matter), and stumps were covered with LGBTQ colors?” Holding questioned while speaking to The Weekend Australian.
Holding argued that the ICC has not made their stance clear.
“If it would have been some other organisation with a consistent track record, I would have been surprised, but not the ICC," he declared.
The fast-bowling legend accused the ICC of being “hypocrite” and have shown again that “they lack spine as a governing body”.
Like Holding, other observers believe that by banning Khawaja's move, as well as his subsequent request to adorn his bat with the peace symbol of a dove holding an olive branch, the ICC has inadvertently boosted his message, while revealing its own hypocrisy.
The Hurricanes hit form at the right time to make the play-offs, but they crashed out with a crushing defeat at Blundstone Arena on Thursday.
It will be the Thunder who face Adelaide Strikers in the Knockout clash at Adelaide Oval on Saturday after they racked up 197-5 and Hobart were all out for 140 in reply.
In-form batsman Hales, the second-highest run-scorer in the competition, blasted 60 off 37 balls and Khawaja bludgeoned a 34-ball 54 in an onslaught of 103 for the first wicket inside 10 overs.
Hobart never really looked like chasing that down with D'Arcy Short gone for 37 and Matthew Wade just 14, Cook dismissing both openers and finishing with outstanding figures of 4-21.
Chris Morris claimed 3-27 and Daniel Sams, the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, 2-24 in an impressive display from Sydney in the field as they eased through to end George Bailey's career.
THUNDER OPENERS MAKE LIGHTNING START
Hales and Khawaja got the Thunder off to a dream start after Callum Ferguson won the toss, setting about Clive Rose, James Faulkner, Scott Boland and Short.
Back-to-back overs from Rose and Boland cost 17 runs apiece, the latter put onto the roof at deep square leg by Hales after Khawaja was the first to a half-century from only 30 balls.
Faulkner struck Khawaja bang in front with a slower ball in the 10th over before Hales also moved to 50 off 30 deliveries, the English opener going on to blast Qais Ahmad for his third six before falling to Boland.
ELLIS BRINGS SOME CALM AFTER THE STORM
Ferguson ought to have been run out when he was well set after dispatching Short for two boundaries in as many balls before Alex Ross took a liking to the spin of Rose.
Short held on when Ferguson slapped a Rose full toss to him at deep midwicket as the Thunder lost the momentum somewhat before taking 16 off the penultimate over from Faulkner
Nathan Ellis finished off his excellent spell by going for just six off the last over to record figures of 1-18 from four, but Hales and Khawaja's stand left the Hurricanes facing a huge challenge to stay in the tournament.
COOK COMES TO THE BOIL, BAILEY BOWS OUT
Much was resting on the shoulders of Wade and the big-hitting Short, but Cook had the captain caught behind and also saw the back of his fellow opener.
There was no explosive swansong for Bailey, retiring to become an Australia national selector, as he was sent on his way by Morris to leave Hobart with a mountain to climb at 74-4 in the ninth over.
The excellent Cook also removed Simon Milenko and cleaned up Rose in what was an emphatic win for the Thunder.
Opener Khawaja was born in Islamabad, less than half an hour's drive from Pindi Cricket Stadium where he shone for Australia on Sunday.
Khawaja appeared on the verge of his 11th century in the longest format as Australia responded superbly to Pakistan's first innings' 476-4 declared.
But impatience perhaps got the better of Khawaja as he contributed to his own downfall, misjudging a reverse sweep and gloving Nauman Ali to Imam-ul-Haq at forward short-leg, with Aleem Dar forced to overturn his original not out decision following a review.
Khawaja's contribution, along with half-centuries from David Warner (68) and Marnus Labuschagne (69 not out), took the tourists to 271-2 – trailing by 205 runs when bad light stopped play.
"It's disappointing," Khawaja said of his failure to reach three figures. "Cricket is a funny game. Three runs – you bat so well for 97 and then you get out. You don't get a hundred, you come back in the changing room and it probably feels worse than getting a 20 in some respects.
"It's a bizarre feeling. Yeah, I would love to get a hundred out here. Rawalpindi, Islamabad – where I grew up.
"I think it would have brought a lot of joy. But at the same time, I think mum, dad, Rachel, my wife, would have loved me being out there.
"I was having a lot of fun. I was enjoying playing. To put it in perspective, I wasn't even in an Australian team a few months ago. So I'm very grateful to be here. I'm happy that I contributed to the team."
Khawaja made his return to the Australia side for the first time since 2019 for the fourth Test of the Ashes in January and scored a century in each innings in a man-of-the-match performance.
And after backing up that display with another of high quality and some fortune – twice Pakistan dropped potential catches of Khawaja – he added: "I felt really good today.
"I felt mentally in a really good spot coming into it, I guess. Probably because I've been out of the system. I've been out of Cricket Australia for two years. And now it's not the be-all and end-all anymore.
"I've been in and out of the team so much. I've been dropped. It doesn't matter. I just play the way I want to play. I just think of it as if I'm playing club cricket or Shield cricket back home. And that's how I take it for Australia now.
"Obviously, I'm a Muslim. I believe in God. I trust what happens. Good or bad, you have to take it equally. A lot of good things have happened in my life. Sometimes you want certain things to go a certain way and they don't happen. I think you just have to accept that and move on, and take the good with the bad. I'm very grateful."
Resuming day two on 255-4, Khawaja (180) and Green (114) piled more runs on to frustrate the hosts with a fifth-wicket partnership of 208, while Australia's tail also wagged.
Ravichandran Ashwin produced figures of 6-91 to stop the tourists from doing even more damage, before Rohit Sharma (17 not out) and Shubman Gill (18 not out) made a promising start to India's reply, ending the day 36-0, still trailing by 444 runs.
Khawaja and Green continued their impressive partnership from day one, with the latter hitting his maiden Test century before a sweep attempt saw him glove one from Ashwin to Srikar Bharat.
Ashwin soon found his groove as he removed Alex Carey for a duck and Mitchell Starc for six, while Khawaja was finally out lbw after a review off the first ball after the tea interval from Axar Patel.
Lyon (34) and Murphy (41) were in the mood to play some shots though, and had plenty of joy as they struck 11 fours between them in a ninth-wicket partnership of 70, before both fell to Ashwin.
The surface in Ahmedabad has been kinder to batters than others in the series, and Rohit and Gill had few problems seeing off Australia's bowling attack in their 10 overs before close.
Gill launched the first six of the match in the final over of the day off Lyon, but India still have plenty to do to get close to the Baggy Green's first innings total.
Khawaja shows patience is a virtue
Khawaja had already reached three figures on day one, but continued his impressively mature innings alongside Green on Friday, lasting 422 balls in all, the most faced of any Australian batter in an innings in India in Test history.
After the day ended, Green said: "Ussie helped me so much out there. It is really special."
Ashwin overtakes Kumble in Australia battles
It must be a strange feeling for a bowler to post numbers as impressive as 6-91 but see the opponents still score almost 500 runs.
It may be consolation for Ashwin that his 113 wickets in total means he has surpassed Anil Kumble (111 wickets) and equalled Lyon to become the joint-leading wicket-taker in the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
The tourists, who trail the four-Test series 1-0 after an innings defeat in Nagpur, managed to reach 263 in Delhi after opener Khawaja made 81 and Handscomb 72 not out.
India skipper Rohit Sharma (13) and KL Rahul (4) guided India to 21-0 at the close of play on Friday to leave them trailing by 242 in the first innings.
Khawaja put on a 50-wicket stand with David Warner (15) for the opening wicket, but Ravichandran Ashwin – who finished with figures of 3-57 – dismissed Marnus Labuschagne (18) and Steve Smith (0) in the space of three balls.
Warner was struck on the helmet and elbow in separate incidents prior to being dismissed cheaply and was later unable to field.
The returning Travis Head could only add 12 runs before Handscomb joined Khawaja to share 59 for the fifth wicket, but the latter was caught by Rahul in the covers, shortly before Alex Carey went for a duck.
Australia were 168-6 at that point, though Handscomb put on another 59 with skipper Pat Cummins, who was sent packing lbw for 33 by Ravindra Jadeja, who also removed Todd Murphy (0) in the same over.
Mohammed Shami returned to remove Nathan Lyon and debutant Matthew Kuhnemann, seeing him finish with figures of 4-60, as Australia were sent packing inside 79 overs.
India managed nine overs in response, with Cummins, Kuhnemann and Lyon unable to remove Rohit and Rahul, who will resume play on Saturday.
Ravindra reaches milestone figure
Jadeja took three wickets in 21 overs to become only the fourth Indian, after Anil Kumble, Kapil Dev and Ravichandran Ashwin, to record 2,500 Test runs and 250 wickets in the format.
It leaves India in a good position to push on and record a third straight Test victory over Australia for the first time since 2013, when winning four in a row against their Border–Gavaskar Trophy rivals.
Khawaja keeps things interesting
After his double failure in the first Test, Khawaja was bold at the start of play in Delhi and his 81 runs came off 125 balls, though he looked devastated when Rahul's leaping one-handed snare denied him a century.
It could have been better for Khawaja and Australia, but it may yet be enough in the grand scheme of things.
"We actually don't know what a good score is on this wicket," the left-handed batter told BT Sport. "If we bowl well, then 260 will be a competitive score.
"There is something in the pitch and plates were moving already when we were batting. Tomorrow will tell the tale of where this game is going."
Australia were 475-4 at stumps after play was interrupted by light rain at drinks in the final session with Khawaja unbeaten on 195* alongside Matt Renshaw (5*).
The hosts were utterly dominant, beating the Proteas into submission, with only two wickets falling across 84 overs bowled for the day. However, the issue of time remaining in the Test looms large after more delays on day two, with grim weather forecast for Sydney in the coming days.
Khawaja had resumed alongside Smith with Australia 148-2 after only 47 overs were bowled on day one due to a combination of bad light and rain.
After an early rain delay, the 36-year-old left-handed opening batsman led from the front, bringing up his 13th Test century late in the opening session with two off Kagiso Rabada.
Khawaja celebrated his third straight SCG hundred with an air-punch and a little jig. Smith brought up his half-century shortly after.
South Africa skipper Dean Elgar demonstrably discarded the old ball when the Proteas took the new ball shortly before lunch, but it led to few opportunities for the tourists.
Smith went on to bring up his 30th Test century, surpassing the great Sir Donald Bradman, pulled to the backward square leg boundary from Anrich Nortje to reach triple figures.
But the vice-captain was dismissed caught and behind by Keshav Maharaj for 104 in the next over, ending their 209-run third-wicket stand. That marked the pair's 10th century partnership from 33 innings.
Travis Head kept the game moving with aggressive stroke play, blasting eight fours and one six before being caught by sub fielder Rassie van der Dussen at deep square off the tiring Rabada.
Renshaw, who tested positive to COVID on day one and had to keep his distance from team-mates, batted late in the day before stumps was called.
Patient Khawaja bats through
Khawaja finished the day unbeaten on 195, having faced 368 deliveries with 19 fours and one six, batting through the opening two days, albeit amid numerous delays. The Queenslander's 195* is his highest Test score and he will be chasing a maiden Test double hundred on Friday.
Maharaj breaks duck
Proteas left-arm orthodox spinner Maharaj had endured a lean series prior to claiming Smith's wicket, which was his first in the three Tests. That dismissal ended Maharaj's dire record of 0-247 from 66.5 overs in the series.
Khawaja, who returned to the Test side during the Ashes after more than two years outside the team, was named in Australia's squad for next month's Pakistan Test series.
The 35-year-old admitted he was sad for "the person" when Langer resigned as Australia head coach amid a messy exit with talk of a player revolt.
Langer spent almost four years in the head coaching role but resigned on Saturday, rejecting a six-month contract extension.
The 51-year-old's exit comes after leading Australia to a 4-0 Ashes triumph and a stunning T20 World Cup victory which has raised eyebrows, yet there have been rumblings of internal issues.
"I just came back in the team two months ago. I've been a little bit out of it, a little bit disconnected, but there's obviously a lot of ex-players coming and talking about the playing group," Khawaja told reporters on Tuesday.
"At some stage, one of the captains, probably Finchy or Patty, will probably have to stand up and answer some questions just to get rid of all the speculation that's going around. To just put an end to it all."
Khawaja said Langer had tried to take on player feedback and insisted "always got along with him".
But several key members of the Australian side, including Cummins, failed to publicly back Langer for a contract extension in the lead-up to Saturday's announcement.
"It's part of speculation which I don't think is really healthy. I just don't want to add to it," Cummins said on Thursday when asked about a contract renewal for Langer.
"That's Cricket Australia's job. It's not my job. I've really loved my time working with JL and we've had an evaluation process. I've been part of that, a lot of other players and staff have been part of that.
"Just like when we get evaluated. I've got huge respect for JL, really like working with him. But it's not my call."
The opener said he had completed "a long journey" by finally making it to three figures on what is his third tour of India in the long format.
Australia amassed 255-4, with Khawaja 104 not out at stumps, reaching his ton with a boundary from the first ball of the day's final over.
A nine-wicket victory for Australia in the third Test last week has fuelled hope they could complete a fightback from 2-0 behind to draw this series, and this start boded well.
While it was Khawaja's day, others helped the score along, with Travis Head making a brisk 32 at the top of the innings and captain Steve Smith adding a hardy 38 from 135 balls before falling to an inside edge off Ravindra Jadeja.
Mohammed Shami bowled Marnus Labuschagne (3) and Peter Handscomb (17), but Cameron Green cracked a rapid 49no containing eight fours as he kept Khawaja company late in the day.
Khawaja got to 99 with a single from the final ball of the penultimate over, making it a nerve-jangling end to day one as he retained the strike to face Shami.
The 36-year-old left-hander held his nerve, clipping away a leg-side four to make it a day for him and Australia to savour. It took him 246 deliveries to get there, and Khawaja will look to bat on deep into Friday to pile pressure on India.
Comeback on the cards?
After day one, Australia will be fancying their task in this match. They are seeking back-to-back men's Test wins against India for the first time since December 2014, and the last time they had consecutive wins in a series in India was in December 1969. India have not lost more than one game in a men's Test series on home soil since losing 2-1 to England in November-December 2012. The hosts can't lose this series, of course, but a draw might feel like a defeat given they won the opening two Tests.
Classy Khawaja
Six of Khawaja's 14 Test tons have come since the start of 2022, underlining what a sensational late-career revival he is enjoying. This was his first Test century against India at any ground, with his previous highest score having been the 81 he made last month in Delhi. In an end-of-day interview, he recalled being a drinks carrier on his first two tours of India, but this time he is making his presence felt.
After drawing last week's opening Test in Rawalpindi, it was Australia who laid down an early marker on Saturday as they reached stumps on 251-3.
The in-form Khawaja batted all day as he made an unbeaten 127, while Steve Smith was also on course for three figures before being caught by Faheem Ashraf off the bowling of Hasan Ali for 72 just before the close.
Khawaja profited from what he described as "pretty negative" bowling from the hosts to hit 13 fours and one six in a classy knock.
David Warner went for 36 and Marnus Labuschagne was run out on a duck, but Khawaja's batting ensured even the late loss of Smith did not hamper the tourists too much.
Nathan Lyon will resume alongside Khawaja on Sunday as Pakistan look to make inroads after a frustrating opening day.
"It would have been nice to have Smith there at the end," Khawaja said. "We've still got plenty of batting to come.
"The wicket was pretty nice today and is going to get worse, and it's feeling like it'll break up in the back end of the match.
"They bowled pretty negative and we were not going to give them free wickets. It would have been nice to get a hundred both in Rawalpindi and here but I'll take this one."
Khawaja goes one better
After falling three short of a century in Rawalpindi last week, the Islamabad-born Khawaja was not to be denied an 11th Test century on Saturday.
He has now logged two centuries and five half-centuries across eight Test innings against his country of birth.
Pakistan falter
Babar Azam's tactics after tea must be questioned, though Hasan did find a breakthrough when ending a 159-run partnership late on to give Pakistan a platform to build on.
Pakistan have only suffered two defeats at the National Stadium in 44 Tests and will need some quick wickets with the new ball in Sunday's morning session.
Responding to Pakistan's first innings' 476-4 declared and resuming on five without loss, Khawaja's 97, along with half-centuries from David Warner (68) and Marnus Labuschagne (69 not out), took the tourists to 271-2 - trailing by 205 runs when bad light stopped play.
It means Australia, playing with heavy hearts following the sudden passing of legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne on Friday, are in an excellent position to at least claim a draw.
The Islamabad-born Khawaja and Warner laid the foundations, combining for a stand of 156, the second-highest opening partnership in Test history in Rawalpindi.
Both Khawaja and Warner played in attacking fashion, the former's half-century coming off just 67 balls. Warner's came in 86, but he was undone when he attempted to go square through the off side and missed a Sajid Khan delivery that careered into middle stump.
His exit did not open the floodgates as Pakistan might have hoped, but they did at least prevent Khawaja from recording an 11th Test hundred.
Khawaja contributed to his own downfall as he got a reverse sweep all wrong, gloving Nauman Ali to Imam-ul-Haq at foward short-leg, with Aleem Dar forced to overturn his original not out decision following a review.
Yet, with Labuschange and Steve Smith (24 not out) surviving until the fading light forced the players off, Australia have two batters who are among the most difficult in world cricket to dislodge set at the crease, a sign that is, for Pakistan, as ominous as the gloom that stopped proceedings.
Khawaja and Warner narrowly miss out on history
Only Mark Taylor and Michael Slater (176) have linked up for a higher first-wicket stand than Khawaja and Warner in Rawalpindi, that duo excelling in October 1994 in a match that ultimately ended in a draw. The same result looks likely again here after Khawaja and Warner narrowly missed out on surpassing their compatriots.
Labuschagne to let loose?
Pakistan will have painful memories of their previous two encounters against Labuschagne, which saw him score 185 at Brisbane and then 162 at Adelaide in 2019. He looks in the kind of form to deliver another massive score.
The opener carried the bat through sweltering conditions at Narendra Modi Stadium with a resolute knock to put the visitors on track for their best total of the series.
His efforts halted a long wait for an Australian to reach triple figures in a Test innings in the country, with interim captain Steve Smith the last to achieve it in 2017.
For Khawaja, his performance was a fitting pay-off for previous visits to the country where he failed to get on the pitch, offering a satisfying start to the final game in Ahmedabad.
"There was a lot of emotion in that," he said. "I have been to India on two tours before this, and carried the drinks in all eight Test matches. It was a long journey.
"To finally get a hundred in India, as an Australian, that's what you want to do, that's what you want to tick off. It's very special.
"It was such a nice wicket; I just didn't want to give my wicket away. It was a mental battle more than anything. You need to put your ego away. It was a battle all day."
Australia are looking to tie the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after they claimed a nine-wicket victory in the third Test earlier this month, following losses in the first two games.
Draws in the first two Tests set up a winner-take-all contest in Lahore, where the surface appears to have plenty in it for the bowlers to ensure a result this time around.
Shaheen's blistering start suggested as much, as the Pakistan seamer removed David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne in the space of three deliveries to leave Australia reeling on 8-2.
But Khawaja, born in Pakistan, once again excelled with the bat, he and Steve Smith leading the Australia response to help them fight back to reach 232-5 at stumps. Khawaja was denied a second century of the series, as a stunning one-handed catch at slip from Babar Azam saw him out for 91.
Bowlers have consistently had to work hard for wickets in an attritional series but when Shaheen had Warner (7) trapped lbw and Labuschagne edged a poor shot behind to fall for a duck, Pakistan had hope of blitzing their way through a frequently steadfast Australia batting order.
Any such prospect was extinguished by the partnership of Khawaja and Smith (59), the latter recording his third successive half-century as they put on 138 for the third wicket.
But Naseem had Smith trapped in front to end his hopes of converting his fifty into a hundred and Khawaja was then denied three figures by Sajid Khan and the brilliance of Babar.
An excellent length delivery from Naseem removed Travis Head for 26, though Cameron Green and Alex Carey's unbroken partnership of 26 from 42 balls gave Australia reason for hope at the close.
Khawaja shows his class again
After falling three short of a hometown century at Rawalpindi in the opener, Khawaja - having hit a brilliant 160 in the second Test - again fell in the 90s here, but his consistency since returning to Test set-up in January has been remarkable. He has now scored at least 90 in five of his last eight innings.
Smith closing on 8,000
Smith did not review the delivery that ended his innings, but there must have been a great deal of temptation to do so given his dismissal left him just seven runs shy of 8,000 in the longest format.
Khawaja, 33, was dropped from the Test team during last year's Ashes, while his last ODI was also in 2019.
Marsh, 36, has been out of international action since mid-2019 and was also left off a 20-player list named on Thursday.
"As Mitch Marsh and Matthew Wade have proven there are always plenty of opportunities for those who have missed out to be reselected by performing consistently at domestic level; and importantly to make the most of any opportunity that comes their way at international level," Australia national selector Trevor Hohns said in a statement.
"As is always the case there are unlucky omissions but, however, because you are not on the list does not mean you cannot be selected to represent Australia."
Marnus Labuschagne, Joe Burns, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Marsh, Kane Richardson and Ashton Agar were called up to the nationally contracted list.
It continues Labuschagne's incredible rise, with the right-hander averaging 63.43 in 14 Tests and 50.83 in seven ODIs.
"We feel all deserve their inclusion recognising the performances of those players in the past 12 months and, as importantly, what they can offer in the next 12 months," Hohns said.
"Marnus' rise has been meteoric and well documented, Joe has been a good Test match player, Ashton Agar’s form in T20 internationals has been exceptional, while Kane Richardson has been outstanding in the 20-over and one-day games.
"Matthew Wade's summer showed he is not only a tough but a good Test player for us. His form extended into white-ball cricket late in the summer, earning him well-deserved call-ups to the one-day and T20 Australian squads.
"After missing the list last year Mitch Marsh's recent form showed he has a lot of international cricket ahead of him as a batting all-rounder. Mitch proved this with his man-of-the-match performance against New Zealand at the SCG in the last game Australia played and a five-wicket haul in the last Test match he played on the Ashes tour."
Cricket Australia contracted player list: Ashton Agar, Joe Burns, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Tim Paine, James Pattinson, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.
England Test captain Ben Stokes retired from ODIs this week, stating it was "unsustainable" for him to play for his country in the longest format, plus Twenty20s and the 50-over game.
Stokes warned that players cannot be treated like "cars" and keep clocking up mileage with such a hectic schedule.
Australia batter Khawaja is not convinced there is a long-term future for ODI cricket.
He said: "My own personal opinion – I know a few of the guys are very similar – you've got Test cricket, which is the pinnacle, you've got T20 cricket, which obviously has leagues around the world, great entertainment, everyone loves it, and then there's one-day cricket.
"I feel like that's probably the third-ranked out of all of them. I think personally one-day cricket is dying a slow death... there's still the World Cup, which I think is really fun and it's enjoyable to watch, but other than that, even myself personally, I'm probably not into one-day cricket as much either."
Khawaja believes it is a big ask for players to play in all formats.
"Not impossible, very tough," Khawaja said, quoted by the Australian Associated Press. "So much travelling. If you're playing all three forms of the game, you're not at home at all really.
"And then the demands on your body, mentally, physically and a lot of the guys might be playing also the IPL.
"There's a lot of cricket going on. Yes, you get to pick and choose, I guess, in certain respects what you want to play, but it can be very tough at the moment."
While Khawaja does not see a bright ODI future, he is not concerned about Test cricket.
"The majority of people I talk to still love Test cricket," he said. "It's my favourite format. [I] think Test cricket still has a very strong presence so don't really see that going anywhere."
Winning the toss and choosing to bat first, the hosts found themselves 12-1 in the fourth over after David Warner edged to first slip off Anrich Nortje's bowling.
Khawaja showed no signs of joining Warner in the sheds, patiently making his way to 54 not out off 121 deliveries for his 21st Test half century in his 99th innings.
Play was interrupted just after 2pm local time due to bad light, and 30 minutes later the rain arrived. After over two hours, play resumed, but they were only able to sneak in another four overs before deciding the light was insufficient.
South Africa will be glad they were able to play that late mini-session, claiming the wicket of Labuschagne with the penultimate ball of the day in the 47th over.
Labuschagne had come in and steadied the ship, adding 79 runs off 151 deliveries after surviving two reviews – with a bit of glove negating an lbw shout, and a near catch in the slips bouncing just in front of the fielder.
His day ended when Nortje found his outside edge with a short delivery, allowing both teams to head into the pavilion with positives to cling to.
SCG a happy hunting ground for Khawaja
Khawaja came into the contest boasting an average of 98.3 from his nine Test innings at the SCG, and he boosted that figure to 107.3 by the close.
For his career, Khawaja is averaging 52.3 runs in Australia, which is dramatically higher than his averages in South Africa (24.2) and England (19.7).
Up-and-down Warner provides selection headache heading into Ashes season
While Warner will feel he has done his job this series, averaging 52.3 from his four innings as Australia push for a 3-0 sweep, his opening spot is still up for grabs for this year's Ashes campaign.
His average this series is buoyed by his terrific 200 in the second Test, but the 36-year-old's other three innings have resulted in scores of nought, three and 10.
Paine is yet to return to competitive cricket after neck surgery in September but leads an Australia team looking to win the Ashes after retaining the urn with a 2-2 series draw in England in 2019.
Khawaja, who turns 35 next month, earns a recall after strong Sheffield Shield form with two centuries in four matches, having not played the longest format of cricket since the third Ashes Test in 2019.
Victorian left-hander Marcus Harris appears set to open the batting alongside David Warner, with Will Pucovski absent due to another concussion, while Travis Head and Khawaja will battle to take the number five role.
Head was dropped in Australia's last Test series against India in January.
The first Test takes place at the Gabba in Brisbane from December 8, followed by the day-night Test at Adelaide Oval from December 16.
National selection panel chair George Bailey said: "Marcus has been a consistent run scorer domestically and had a strong winter further developing his game with Leicestershire. He is a good player who will be looking to build a strong partnership with David Warner at the top of the order.
"Travis finished last summer strongly, second only to Cameron Green for runs scored, and has again started the season well. He drives the game forward and can put the opposition under pressure with his ability to score quickly.
"Similarly, Usman Khawaja has been in great touch. He brings a calm, consistent and experienced component to the batting line up and is a proven run scorer at Test level. He also has the ability to bat across a range of positions in the batting order."
Jhye Richardson and Michael Neser are included as fast bowling depth, although the latter recently sustained a minor hamstring strain playing for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield.
"Jhye is seeing the rewards of concentrating on his red ball cricket in the build up to this series. We know he has an exceptional skill set and are excited about what he brings to the team now his body is back on track," Bailey said.
Australia Test squad: Tim Paine (c), Pat Cummins (vc), Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner
Australia opener Usman Khawaja delivered another classy century on Thursday, remarkably his fourth of the calendar year, as Australia posted 227-3 declared to set Pakistan a target of 351 for victory in the third and final Test.
The tourists would have wanted to make inroads into their opponents' top order before the close, but instead Pakistan reached 73 without loss from the 27 overs they faced after Australia's post-tea declaration.
It means Pakistan require a further 278 runs for victory and Australia need 10 wickets on day five at the Gaddafi Stadium, where something surely has to give.
Australia's men are unbeaten in their last seven Tests (W4 D3), and Pakistan have not lost any of their last five (W3 D2).
The Australians have been beaten only once by Pakistan in the last nine Tests between the sides, yet Pakistan have just a single defeat in their last 12 Tests at this ground, and that was against Sri Lanka all the way back in March 2002.
After draws in Rawalpindi and Karachi, this match looks ripe to produce a victory for one of the teams, but it could easily go either way.
Australia were 11-0 at the start of play and reached 96 without any loss when Shaheen Shah Afridi bowled David Warner for 51 with a sensationally good delivery. Khawaja kept going and anchored the innings with 104 not out, Marnus Labuschagne weighing in with 36 and Steve Smith passing 8,000 career Test runs in making 17.
Captain Pat Cummins declared early in the late-afternoon session, once the lead passed 350, but Abdullah Shafique (27 not out) and Imam-ul-Haq (42 not out) helped Pakistan to the close without any damage.
Shafique used up a life moments before the close when he edged spinner Labuschagne past the left hand of Smith at first slip, potentially a highly costly miss by the fielder.
Khawaja does it again
Khawaja, who was born in Pakistan, did not play a Test between matches against England in August 2019 and January of this year. It is testament to Australia's resources that they could afford to leave out a batter of his quality. The 35-year-old made 91 in the first innings of this match and surpassed that second time around.
He now has 751 runs in five Tests this year, far and away the most of anyone in Tests. Shafique is second on that list, with 397 runs and counting.
Record for Smith, but dropped catch sours his day
Australia would have ended the day on a high if Smith had clung on to the sharp chance from the penultimate delivery of the day. Shafique drove aggressively at Labuschagne, who drew the edge but saw the ball race away to the boundary rather than stick in Smith's claw.
Smith earlier reached his runs landmark in his 151st Test innings, the fewest of any batsman to have reached 8,000 Test runs.
Khawaja was a notable absentee when Cricket Australia announced its list of centrally contracted players last month.
The 33-year-old batsman has not played for his country since the drawn Ashes series in England last year and Marnus Labuschagne has looked very much at home at number three.
Former Australia captain Ponting thinks we may have seen the last of Khawaja in the longest format, despite the left-hander saying he believes he is among the top six batsmen in the country.
Ponting told ABC Grandstand: "I honestly think now he's going to find it difficult [to regain his place] and I feel for him.
"I love Usman Khawaja, I got really close to him over the last 10 years since he made his debut and I talk to him quite regularly.
"I've always felt he's a very good player and we probably never saw the absolute best of him at international cricket.
"We saw glimpses of it, and dribs and drabs, but not the consistently good player I thought he could have been for Australia."
Khawaja and Marsh were among those to miss out on national contracts, with a 20-man list named by Cricket Australia (CA) on Thursday.
Marsh, 36, last played for Australia in mid-2019, having featured in 38 Tests, 73 ODIs and 15 Twenty20s for the country.
But Hohns said Marsh's time playing for Australia was probably over.
"Shaun, you never say never, and I'll never say never of course, but I think Shaun, I think he's now 36 or 37, is probably past representing Australia," he told a video conference on Thursday.
"We've spoken to Shaun regularly over the last 12 months and he understands the situation. He's been a wonderful player in domestic cricket, he's played some very, very good innings for Australia in Test match cricket and he'll be sorely missed.
"But what is good is that he's continuing to play the game and as a senior player playing domestic cricket around Australia, he's got a big role to play and as I suggested it's great to see players like that continuing to play and put back to state cricket."
As for Khawaja, Hohns said leaving out the left-hander was the toughest decision.
The 33-year-old batsman has not played for Australia since being dropped during last year's Ashes series.
"Usman is one of the unlucky ones, there's no doubt," Hohns said. "As we know, Usman didn't play cricket for Australia last year at all in any format after being dropped from the Ashes series.
"If I'm looking at Test cricket, Usman's form in domestic Shield cricket didn't demand that he was chosen for Australia and I think that's pretty fair. One-day cricket, he didn't play for Australia despite being a very good performer in the Marsh Cup early in the season, but the area that he operates in, like a couple of our unlucky omissions, is up the top and we're pretty well looked after up there with [Aaron] Finch, [David] Warner, [Steve] Smith and now Marnus Labuschagne so it was a difficult time for him and then of course in T20 cricket he hasn't played for Australia for some time.
"Usman obviously received rankings in a couple of those forms of the game, but those rankings weren't sufficient enough to get him into the contract list in the end."
Australia and the Proteas will lock horns for the first time since the fateful 2018 tour of South Africa in a three-game Test series starting on Saturday at the Gabba in Brisbane.
The 2018 scandal rocked Australian cricket, leading to Steve Smith and David Warner's 12-month bans, along with the loss of their leadership positions. Head coach Darren Lehmann stepped aside, with Justin Langer instilled in the aftermath to restore the team's reputation.
Khawaja was part of the side for the third Test in Cape Town in 2018 when the ball tampering saga emerged but said those ghosts had been banished.
"It honestly hasn't been and I'm being genuine," Khawaja told reporters on Thursday when asked if the sandpaper scandal had been discussed internally. "It's because time heals all wounds.
"The guys have come so far from there, both as individual players, but also as a team.
"Everyone's got so many different things going on in their life from where they were four years ago. That actually gave guys a lot of perspective.
"Australian cricket, both as a whole and as individual as players, we were probably at rock bottom right there."
Starc was also part of that Australian side in Cape Town, but echoed Khawaja's sentiments.
"I think both teams have probably evolved since," Starc said. "It's been an evolution of our group across the formats.
"We're very happy, chilled, relaxed, [in an] enjoyable environment and hopefully it's going to show in our cricket and result in a positive performance in these three Tests."
Faf du Plessis, who was the South Africa captain during the 2018 series, fueled the flames ahead of the series with an extract in his newly released book, accusing Smith of "milking" physical contact with Kagiso Rabada in the first Test of that tour.
The 2018 series was full of intensity, with the Smith-Rabada clash one of many heated incidents leading up to the fateful sandpaper scandal.
"This episode has almost been forgotten against the backdrop of what the series still had up its sleeve, or more accurately, down its trousers," Du Plessis wrote.
"They brushed shoulders during one of KG’s overs but Smith milked it like a football player. We knew that KG was one demerit point away from a suspension."
