ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA, Second Ashes Test, Lord’s, Day One on Wednesday.
SCORE: Australia (despatched in to bat) 5-339
SUMMARY: Very a lot Australia’s day firstly of the marquee Lord’s Test, but it surely may have been a lot worse for curiously lacklustre England, if not for an out-of-the-blue, two-wicket over from unlikely saviour Joe Root simply when the Bazball boasters have been trying dishevelled. A rain-dotted, overcast day, excellent for the house seamers after captain Ben Stokes gained the toss, could not have began extra eventfully with a floor invasion by paint powder-wielding protesters, prompting Jonny Bairstow to seize one and carry him to the boundary. It was the one catch England made all morning. Having spilled two, and under-pressure David Warner making them pay for Ollie Pope’s missed sitter with a daring 66, the openers’ wickets for spectacular Ashes rookie seamer Josh Tongue gave England respite. But a 102-run stand between the outdated agency of Steve Smith & Labuschagne (47) and one other, quite extra blistering one among 118 between Smith and Travis Head (77) left bedraggled England struggling a lot that offspinner Root was lowered to chucking in a 74mph bouncer at Labuschagne earlier than tea. Yet with the innings spinning out of England’s management, the part-timer received Head stumped and Cameron Green caught within the house of 4 balls. And the worst news of all for England? Their strolling, shuffling, precision-striking nightmare Smith was nonetheless going robust on 85, having gone previous the 9000 Test runs landmark.
PLAYER OF THE MOMENT: Travis Head was the person Ben Stokes recognized as an actual hazard to England and he continued the shape which made him the dominant determine down the highway at The Oval within the World Test Championship remaining together with his very good attacking 77 off 73 balls which fairly modified the complexion of the match together with his 14 thumping fours in simply over an hour.
KEY MOMENT: The morning’s motion could have had a really totally different really feel had Usman Khawaja been snapped up on one when, squared up by James Anderson, he provided a tough low probability to Joe Root at first slip. Likewise, Pope’s dropped probability at fourth slip off Stuart Broad when Warner solely had 20. Both drops appeared to fairly take the wind out of England sails.
STAT OF THE DAY: Tongue, on his Ashes debut, grew to become the primary England bowler to dismiss each Australia’s opening batters in the identical innings for 55 years since 1968. More remarkably, he was the primary Englishman to take action at Lord’s since 1884 – 139 years in the past.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I didn’t want to say anything – but the one chance that’s come Jonny’s way, he’s held on to so far!” – Ricky Ponting’s cheeky tackle one-time rugby league participant Jonny Bairstow catching the ground-invading protester.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
