After punishing England in the field on day one of the second Ashes test match, Australia were looking to capitalise on some concrete batting foundations laid by Rogers and Smith, who piled on a colossal partnership of 257 runs on Day One.
The Ashes: Second Test, Day Two Review
England’s intent was clear from the first delivery of the second day. Swing bowling specialist James Anderson clattered a short ball directly onto Chris Rogers helmet. Treatment applied to a cut behind his ear did not divert his attention from adding to his overnight score of 158, and he leaned into a couple of sweetly timed cover drives off England’s pace attack.
Stuart Broad produced a positive opening spell first up with the pitch showing a little more zip and pace than yesterday. Eventually, it was one drive too far for Rogers who, stuck on the crease with little foot movement, was done by a late, full in-swinging delivery that just caught the inside edge of the bat and knocked out leg stump. Rogers was finally removed for a gutsy 173 runs from a six-and-a-half hour innings.
The long awaited wicket brought Aussie captain Michael Clarke to the crease. He has a decent record at Lord’s, averaging 42.66 at the ‘Home of Cricket’. His innings, though, was short lived after he pulled a Mark Wood bouncer straight to Gary Balance at mid-wicket after looping the previous ball to the same area with a back foot defensive stroke. The captain’s form is being questioned; he has averaged just 31.83 since December 2013.
After two reasonably quick wickets England were sensing an opportunity to create inroads before the lunch break with Adam Voges coming in at number five. Voges showed his captain how it should be done, with a firm back foot pull shot from Wood crashing to the boundary for four.
Steven Smith at the other end continued his productive innings, looking unfazed whilst still conveying his unusual technical movements just before producing his batting stroke. The Aussies reached lunch at 424-3, and both batsmen looked in good form as they headed through the long room.
Three balls into the afternoon session Voges fell to Broad, caught behind by keeper Buttler after the faintest of edges. Not long after, Mitchell Marsh was dismissed for 12. Again Broad was the bowler but this time a bottom edge deflected onto the stumps.
The dismissal brought test debutant wicket keeper Peter Nevill to the crease who straight away indicated his intentions, scoring briskly with some backward cover drives and front-foot pull shots. Moeen Ali reviewed an LBW decision to Nevill that was originally given not out and the replays showed it was the correct decision. England’s review success in this series has been 0/5 and Australia fairing slightly better with 1/8.
Smith then made history at Lord’s, becoming the first Australian batsmen to hit a Test match double-hundred in the post-war era at the ground. The last Australian to hit a double-hundred was Bill Brown in 1938. A brilliant accomplishment by the world’s current number two-ranked batsman, who will be looking to re-claim top spot from South African AB De Villiers in the rankings. Smith was eventually dismissed LBW by the part-time off-spin of Joe Root for a magnificent 215 off 346 balls, all within 511 minutes of hard graft and comprising of 24 fours and one six. The Lord’s crowd showed their appreciation for a fabulous innings as he paraded back to the dressing room.
Soon after Nevill became Joe Root’s second victim of the innings, holing out to Ali at mid-off, the part timer proving useful with his off spin just before the tea break.
Both left-handed pace bowlers Starc and Johnson now at the crease produced some entertainment, marching down the pitch trying to up the run rate. Johnson eventually hit Broad straight to Anderson. Broad finished with figures of 4-83 as Clarke declared one over after tea with Australia 566-8 to give England as little time to prepare for the change of innings as possible.
With 29 overs to fend off until close of play, England’s innings began disastrously when the Yorkshireman Adam Lyth played a poor, lazy shot edging behind to Nevill for his first test catch off the second ball of the innings from Starc. The task of taking 20 wickets before the 5 days of cricket are complete, had been given a helping hand by the England opener.
Not long after fellow Yorkshireman Gary Ballance also fell for 23. It is the 14th time he has fallen to a full length delivery against seam, when he was bowled by Mitchell Johnson. There are some technical issues that need to be worked on by the England batsmen, Lyth needs to work out where his off stump is and Ballance has to get his front foot out in front to a full delivery to drive the pace bowlers.
Almost immediately Ian Bell falls for just one run playing all around a swinging Hazlewood and again, England find themselves three wickets down for less than 50 runs, a trend far too common of late starting in the West Indies and continuing into the New Zealand and Australian home series, that is eight consecutive test matches. Three became four as Root fell playing at an aggressive good length delivery that he could have easily have left against Mitchell Johnson, the top order in total disarray.
Captain Cook and Stokes in particular, looked to steady the ship after the calamatous start. Stokes taking on off-spinner Lyon and hitting him for a maximum towards the end of the days play as well as a few other neat drives to push England on. Cook reverted to his grafting role, watching each delivery on to the bat playing predominantly defensive strokes to see out the remaining overs aiming for one of his long grinding innings.
Winning the toss was always key to this match knowing the pitch would be flat on day one and had the possibility of quickening up thereon after. However, the contrast in batting and bowling performances from both sides in two tests is remarkable with Australia delivering the fightback we expected and more. Johnson hitting the wicket at 92mph against Root at one point signals the intent and aggression the Aussies are displaying against a lacklustre England batting lineup that appear to be fatigued from two days of fielding. Already England will need to improve dramatically as the follow-on looks imminent on Day 3 despite the late fight back by Stokes and Cook.
