David Hussey was one of many in cricket watching Usman Khawaja with great interest on Sunday night.
Khawaja made his return to cricket after an injury-enforced five-week break, having strained a hamstring in the second Test against New Zealand.
As captain of the opposing Melbourne Stars, Hussey sent in Khawaja's Sydney Thunder side and hoped he'd be out cheaply.
Not only hoped, but he almost expected it.
After witnessing the 29-year-old belt his Stars bowlers to every part of the ground in an unbeaten 109, Hussey admitted he was wrong.
"If I'm brutally honest I didn't think he was that good at T20 cricket," he said.
"Uzzie just showed how classy he is as a player, not only in longer form cricket, and how he's adapted his game in shorter form cricket.
"He's showed the world tonight he's a classy player in all three forms of the game."
Khawaja's innings helped the Thunder claim a one-run nailbiter at the MCG.
In two matches the former Big Bash League easybeats have shown they'll be a force in the fifth edition of the tournament.
Mike Hussey's side have beaten Sydney Sixers and the Stars and sit on top of the ladder.
By contrast, the Stars are bottom of the league and face a tough path to qualify for the finals.
James Faulkner, renowed as a 'finisher', endured a tough time at the end of both innings on Sunday.
Faulkner's last two overs with the ball went for 18 each.
On strike against Jacques Kallis and needing 10 from the final over to win, Faulkner could only club eight.
His innings of 45 not out, along with Kevin Pietersen's 76, kept the Stars in the contest but David Hussey could only find frustration at the end of the night.
"You work so hard to get back into the contest, to go down by one run is a bitter pill to swallow," he said.
"Knowing James, he wears his heart on his sleeve, he'd be pretty flat.
"He's going to work into the competition, he's a fighter."
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