Ashes Review: Day 2 Lords

Australia again emerged victorious on the second day of proceeding’s at Lords racking up a mammoth 566-8 declared and reducing England to 30-4 before skipper Alastair Cook and the flame-haired assassin Ben Stokes clawed back some respectability to finish the day on 85-4.

After Australia finally emerged from their cocoon, albeit five days late at Lord’s yesterday, many an England fan felt obliged to make no comment until England had also batted on what seemed a batsman’s paradise with the infamous slope playing little part in the proceeding’s to date.

The day started brightly for England as Stuart Broad began to find a lovely rhythm and removed centurion Chris Rogers for a majestic 173 with a full ball, that the former Middlesex batsman, wanting to drive but produced a thick inside edge into middle stump.

That brought Australian captain Michael Clarke to the crease who had so far been out of touch in the series, and it seemed to continue here as Broad had the skipper hopping around before luring him into a false pull that a grateful Gary Ballance made no mistake with at square leg for just 7.

Two early breakthrough’s gave England hope but Adam Voges joined Steve Smith at the crease and they once again increased the momentum looking to take the game away from England. Smith by this point had gone past 150 and was edging towards a double century with Voges also beginning to form a partnership.

Lunch was to be Voges undoing just as he looked to pile the pressure on England as Broad once again induced the thin edge for Buttler to snaffle, as Voges departed for 25. Mitchell Marsh having replace Shane Watson in the side was next up to join Smith but made only 12 before Broad removed him for 12 bowling him with him once again going through one of his purple patches.

Another partnership developed between Smith and new bot Peter Nevill, who had replaced Brad Haddin behind the stumps and they increased the momentum, scoring quickly as Australia went past 500. Smith reached his double-hundred whipping Moeen Ali to the boundary as runs began to pile up.

Smith would eventually fall for 215 with a pre-meditated sweep that crashed into his front pad with bowler Joe Root successfully appealing with the decision upheld on review. Nevill also fell short of a milestone as he went for 45, with Root again the bowler and Ali taking a smart catch at mid-off.

Both the Mitchell’s were given the green light to have some fun with Starc hitting Ali into the crowd for six before the declaration came when Broad got his fourth of the game when Johnson was caught by Anderson for 15 with England facing a daunting challenge of matching Australia’s 566-8.

England Innings

The innings got off to the worst possible start as second ball, Adam Lyth once again showed his suspect judgement edging a ball outside off stump to a gleeful Nevill off the rejuvenated Starc. Cook looked on in dismay as once again the cracks at the top of the order with his opening partner, seemed to re-emerge.

Ballance strode to the crease next and whilst looking uneasy, got himself a start reaching 23 before he was undone by a fast full swinging ball that knocked the off-stump, with Ballance once again also showing his inadequacy at number three.

With England’s two classiest batsmen up next, it was hoped that this would be the end of the wickets for a while but first Ian Bell played all round a Josh Hazelwood ball, looking to clip to mid-wicket, that crashed into his off stump for just one before man of the moment Root played at a needless ball, catching a thin edge through to Nevill as England slumped to 30-4.

Ben Stokes joined his shell-shocked captain at the crease and England were in need of some re-building work. Cook as hard-working as usual, put the brakes on allowing  the Durham boy to take the lead as they looked to rebuild the innings and despite testing times, both managed to make it through to the end of the day to give England a glimmer of hope at 85-4.

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It was certainly once again Australia’s day as they looked to bounce back from their shock defeat in Cardiff with Steve Smith in imperious form and an ominous omen going into the rest of the series with a cool 215. There was hope for England as the rest of the Australian middle-order have yet to put in a significant stint but the more pressing concern has to be England’s fragile batting that once again, despite the positives in the 1st test, showing its batsmen are out of touch.