Australia win by 405 wins and level the series 1-1
Well that was fairly unequivocal, you have to say. Australia’s win is their biggest over England by runs since 1948 and their third biggest ever in Ashes Tests. In fact it’s the ninth biggest win by runs in Test history!
England smashed Australia at Cardiff. That only served to make them angry, it seems, as the tourists have turned it around and then some. England can do their whole taking the positives schtick, as they weren’t as entirely abject as that scoreline suggests. It doesn’t matter a jot though as Australia were absolutely outstanding. With Smith’s brilliant double hundred, Chris Roger’s almost-as-good first innings century and a trio of fast bowlers making a mockery of the pace of the pitch, that was like watching the Australia of old.
England now have the soul-searching to do. There are already calls for the heads of Lyth, Ballance and Bell, and certainly management will look long and hard at them. But then again, start chopping and changing after one bad defeat and you might as well build a time machine and invite the Australia of the 90s over for a match.
Thanks for reading and for all your emails. I’ve had quite the deluge over the past few days, so it’s been impossible to use them all. Sorry about that. Have a good evening and enjoy your suddenly open Monday.
Bye!
Updated
Wicket! Anderson b Hazlewood 0
37th over: England 103 (Wood 2) Come on now, let’s get this over and done with, guys. Wood plays an expansive drive that’s well stopped by Warner, I think, at backward point with the ball bouncing just before him. A swivel pull out to deep square leg brings Anderson on strike for the final ball, and a perfect inswinging yorker castles him. That’s it! Australia level the series.
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36th over: England 102-9 (Anderson 0, Wood 1) Nathan Lyon continues. Given that they were 60-6, does this count as a recovery from England’s tail? No, no it does not. Wood turns one into the on side for a single.
35th over: England 101-9 (Anderson 0, Wood 0) Johnson, with 3-27 to his name in this innings, gets a rest and is replaced by Hazlewood. I’m not sure how pleased Mitch will be with that decision. He can probably pack up now though, as Australia move to within one wicket of a series-levelling win. That was such an understated wicket considering that it was England’s best batsman getting his furniture rearranged by a quick. Anderson plays a nice off drive from his first ball, but Marsh (M) makes a nice diving stop. A wicket maiden and we will go on for another entry at least.
Wicket! Root b Hazlewood 17
Angled back in down the slop and Root is done for pace.
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34th over: England 101-8 (Root 17, Wood 0) Four more to Broad and he nudges ahead in the race to top score in this innings with a nice paddle sweep from well outside off, all along the floor to the fine leg boundary. A couple of balls later he gets one in the slot and lifts it effortlessly over mid on for six! He may support Leicester Tigers, but I bloody love Stuart Broad. Hundred up, but an eighth wicket down.
Wicket! Broad c Voges b Lyon 25
Broad tries to cut, it’s not short enough and the ball loops to cover, where Voges takes a dolly.
Updated
33rd over: England 91-7 (Root 17, Broad 15) Shot from Root! Johnson bangs it in but the bounce isn’t as vicious as he might have hoped. Root swivels and hammers it to the midwicket boundary on the pull. That takes him to 17 and past Stuart Broad as England’s top scorer.
“This is getting pretty hard to watch now,” writes understatement fan Thomas Bright. “Have just noticed that Jonny Bairstow has just scored another century though. Bairstow in for Ballance, Bell or Lyth?! Root must bat at 3 by the way.” I’d give them all one more Test, personally. They’ve all got issues but have all played innings of substance in England wins in the last three Tests.
32nd over: England 87-7 (Root 13, Broad 15) Stuart Broad isn’t one to share your pessimism: he is going for the win! Or at least he goes back and slots some wide filth from Lyon through point for four more. He’s 15 from 9 and if can carry that on to a quadruple century then England are almost home and dry. He goes for the shot again, doesn’t time it and the looping ball lands a couple of yards short of the man at point.
31st over: England 82-7 (Root 12, Broad 11) A punch back down the ground gets Broad three runs but, more importantly, gets him off strike. If I was Australia I’d have been willing that ball to the fence. All told, it was a good shot, mind. Root also plays nicely off the back foot, pushing to mid on for a single. Broad doesn’t look too happy about going through for that run and it’s patently obvious why: he gets absolutely strung up, the ball fires up off the splice and clears everyone, shooting down to long stop for four. Emboldened, Broad rocks back to the last ball – short and wide of course – and uppercuts expertly over the slips for four more.
Mark Turner is absolutely spot on with his assessment of Johnson: “Not only does he look in superb nick, but for me he’s being captained better. There’s no sulking when the ball’s taken off him, there’s no over-use, he’s fresh every time he’s called back to bowl, there seems to be agreement between himself and Clarke. Result: we get to watch the world’s best strike bowler rip the heart out of our top order, who are being made to look more mediocre than they are.”
30th over: England 70-7 (Root 11, Broad 0) From the other end it’s Nathan Lyon to Joe Root. The Yorkshireman swivel pulls a short-ish one round the corner and there are derisory cheers the ball trickles sorrowfully to the fine leg fence. He repeats the shot a couple of balls later, but Mitch Marsh slides round well to save two.
29th over: England 64-7 (Root 5, Broad 0) It’ll be Mitchell Johnson first up after tea. And it’ll be Moeen Ali to the crease second ball after tea. This is as pathetic as we’ve seen from England this year, like one of those rubbish BBC 2 “I Love 2013-14” nostalgia shows. It was nothing more than a loosener that did for Buttler. Ali then tries to swish at one down the leg side and there’s a strangled appeal as Australia hear a noise, but Nevill fumbles it. It was ball on sweater in any case. Australia won’t give the tiniest one though as the fifth ball of the over brings Moeen’s tortured, awful innings to a miserable close.
This might be the shortest OBO shift I’ve ever done.
Wicket! Moeen c sub (S Marsh) b Johnson 0
I’m not making this up. After a working over, Moeen gets in an almighty mess swinging at a short one and he just pops it into the hands of short leg.
Updated
Wicket! Buttler c Nevill b Johnson 11
First effing ball after tea. It’s angled across him from over the wicket, Buttler pushes at it needlessly and Nevill snaffles yet another catch.
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Our good friends the OBOccasionals are in action.
In darkest Surrey playing for the Guardian OBOccasionals in godless Godalming. How's my action @Simon_Burnton? pic.twitter.com/jQj2mAyjx1
— James Walsh (@jamesofwalsh) July 19, 2015
“You’re missing a lovely afternoon,” writes James. “We’re 152 for 6 off 23 of our 40 overs. I’m in at number 11 and I’m not even sure we have eleven players.”
Sorry to let you down, James. But I couldn’t resist the temptation to cover this Test match. Which is about to resume...
So our weird Ben Stokes stat, which John Ashdown dug out yesterday, remains. His first innings 87 remains his worst score at Lord’s when he has deigned to get off the mark: his record now reads 0, 0, 92, 101, 87, 0.
“WICKETARDIUM LEVIOSA” writes Edward Wilson on the Stokes runout. I’ve asked my colleagues who have children and apparently this is a Harry Potter thing and it’s a spell for levitation. I wouldn’t have known this otherwise, because I am a grown up.
Evening folks. I thought to myself earlier “If England can get to the evening session five down then that’s the only way this is going to be an exciting finish to the match.” But then again I was thinking about tomorrow evening.
It turns out they’ve ignored my earlier masterplan (see lunch break) of not getting out and hitting loads of fours. Natalie Portman will be very disappointed.
As it is, let’s see how long they can keep us all here this evening.
TEA
And that is tea. Another wonderful session for Australia, more misery for England. I think England could claim to have done pretty well in the first session of day three, but the other 10 sessions so far belong to Australia. Dan Lucas will helm the OBO for the remainder of the day, so send your despairing emails his way. Bye!
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28th over: England 64-5 (Root 5, Buttler 11)
Lyon continues, as Lord’s continues to come to terms with the bizarre lunacy of that Stokes run-out, and the absence now of any kind of doubt about the outcome of this Test. “Any chance of putting up the required run rate England need to pull off the win?” asks Alex Gaywood. “I suspect we’re a little bit behind target but just wanted to be sure. Cheers!” Very droll.
27th over: England 60-5 (Root 4, Buttler 8)
Buttler comes in, and clips his first delivery over the head of the fielder at midwicket – not far enough to be comfortable – and away for four. Then he gets a thick outside edge and the ball flies low, wide of the slips and away for four more.
A boy was expelled from my school for being run out like that.
— Andy Zaltzman (@ZaltzCricket) July 19, 2015
Halfway. http://t.co/wfvHDaNENm #Ashes pic.twitter.com/y6AgrhdB73
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) July 19, 2015
WICKET! Stokes run out (Johnson) 0 (England 52-5)
Disaster for England! In theory Stokes is in by a yard but he never grounded his bat, and as the ball hits the stumps – a direct hit from mid on – his feet are in the air and he’s gone! Excellent fielding from Johnson, idiotic running from Stokes.
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26th over: England 52-4 (Root 4, Stokes 0)
“There’d been three maidens in a row, and how many times does a wicket follow?” asks Mike Atherton on Sky. Well, plenty, but surely maidens had nothing to do with that one. After all, it’s not like Bell was trying to score a run at the time, or England care a hoot about the score on the board. Bell just misjudged the flight of the ball. Later there’s massive turn out of the rough, the ball rears up, misses everyone and goes for four byes.
WICKET! Bell c sub (Marsh) b Lyon 11 (England 48-4)
Bell inside-edges into his pad and the ball loops straight into the hands of Shaun Marsh, the sub fielder, at short leg!
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25th over: England 48-3 (Bell 11, Root 4)
Marsh is back, replacing Johnson, and he bowls wide and short at Root, who takes the bait and tries to pull. He misses the ball entirely, and presumably gives himself a bit of a talking-to.
24th over: England 48-3 (Bell 11, Root 4)
Lyon bowls to Cook, with a single slip, silly point and short leg around the bat. No sniff of either runs or wickets. “Let’s be clear what is at stake here today,” writes Owen Kendler. “England’s middle order is batting to save the fifth-day concession sales at Lord’s. Otherwise, England could throw their wickets away quickly and take the extra day to recover both mentally and physically from this thrashing.” A little harsh I fear, Owen. On that basis the captains could have shaken hands and called it 1-1 after 20 minutes of England’s first innings, and they’d have had their feet up for a couple of days already.
23rd over: England 48-3 (Bell 11, Root 4)
Johnson bowls short, into Root’s body, he fends it away with the handle of his bat, and it drops well short of short leg. That’s the first ball of the over, and it’s an over of two halves – the first three deliveries short and fearsome, the next three wide and harmless.
22nd over: England 48-3 (Bell 11, Root 4)
Lyon continues, and Root – who had scored a single from the first ball of each of the three previous overs – has to wait until the second this time. It’s the only run of the over.
21st over: England 47-3 (Bell 11, Root 3)
Dropped! Mitchell bangs the ball across Bell, who nicks low, the ball flying between Nevill – slightly wrong-footed, he pulls out at the last minute – and Voges at first slip – who dives to his left and briefly has the ball in his left hand, but it doesn’t stick! “What do we think of that cricket Australia graphic counting down the English wickets?” asks Rick Butler. “‘Pretty ordinary’ isn’t it? Did the ECB do that last week? Their goading starts from the top.” It is both a simple and therefore perfecftly reasonable visual presentation of the state of play in this innings, and also, at the same time, a bit wrong.
20th over: England 44-3 (Bell 10, Root 1)
Lyon bowls for the first time today, and there’s a bit of turn here for him, too. England take a leg bye from the first, and leave it at that.
19th over: England 43-3 (Bell 10, Root 1)
Marsh shuffles off again after a single over, with Johnson replacing him. His first delivery is banged in hard and uncomfortably fended away by Root, who might have been caught if only Australia had a leg slip standing suicidally close to the bat. They didn’t, and England take a single.
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18th over: England 42-3 (Bell 10, Root 0)
Starc bowls, and five leaves and a prod straight to a nearby fielder take England a few minutes closer to glory. Still, however, absolutely nowhere near glory.
This is not going entirely according to plan. From an English perspective. 3 down for not many. Again. Might need to rethink that tactic.
— Andy Zaltzman (@ZaltzCricket) July 19, 2015
17th over: England 42-3 (Bell 10, Root 0)
So here we are. Again. An inspired bowling change – Marsh’s first delivery of the innings doing for Ballance – means that for the nth time in y games England have three down for nothing very much, and every Australian Mitchell has already taken a wicket this innings. If England have any chance of avoiding defeat here – and it’s increasingly apparent that they don’t, but let’s play the game, eh? – they cannot afford to lose another wicket today. Marsh’s last ball is banged in short and Root edges it into his face, fortunately well protected. A new helmet is called for.
c. Nevill b. Mitch c. Nevill b. Mitch c. Nevill b. Mitch #Ashes #CmonAussie pic.twitter.com/s2EYGHoxBS
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) July 19, 2015
WICKET! Ballance c Nevill b Marsh 14 (England 42-3)
Ballance goes first ball after drinks, a short delivery flicking off a glove and through to Nevill!
Updated
16th over: England 41-2 (Ballance 14, Bell 10)
Starc squares Ballance up and beats the outside edge once again. It does feel like a matter of time for this pair, but then again Gary Ballance doesn’t look in even when he’s in three figures. A single to deep midwicket from the final ball is the only run of the over.
That’s drinks. Simon Burnton is going to take you through to tea.
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15th over: England 40-2 (Ballance 13, Bell 10) Bell continues to look uncomfortable against Johnson, hopping about and knocking him round the corner from rib height for a single. Ballance then has to sway back as a sharp bouncer flies past his throat. He then almost falls over a full toss on leg stump, but manages to squirt it into the on side for a single. Change in the field then for Bell, facing the last ball, as a leg gully comes in, but Bell drops his hands away from the short ball.
Simon Burnton has been digging out some stats and you have to admire his dedication to finding the most tenuous out there:
Alastair Cook’s fortunes in the second innings are basically irrelevant to England, who have won or drawn 17 matches in which Cook has scored 15 runs or fewer in their second knock, and lost 20. And they’re actually significantly more likely to avoid defeat when Cook fluffs his lines in the first innings than when he doesn’t (23 won/drawn, 14 lost, after scores of 15 runs or fewer)
14th over: England 39-2 (Ballance 12, Bell 9) Mitchell Starc returns in place of Hazlewood, coming in from the Nursery End this time. There are two men out on the hook for Ballance, which seems odd, as Bumble point out, given that he never plays the hook. It’s even stranger given Starc is bowling wide outside off and Ballance drives nicely through extra cover for four to move into double figures.
13th over: England 35-2 (Ballance 8, Bell 9) Ballance drops his first ball into the off side and nips through for a single, allowing Ian Bell to take up residence in the Mitchell Johnson shaped firing line. Bell doesn’t look like he wants to be there, as he pushes out at one that’s angled across him; certainly no need to play at that, Ian.
“Seems pretty reasonable to question Lyth’s presence in the team,” writes Gareth Wilson. “Two innings, two absolutely atrocious shots which anyone with a brain could work out were incredibly low-percentage. That first inning sone in particular beggars belief. Sure, be aggressive, but also THINK. The guy is 27, not a callow 20 year old; he hasn’t got it it up top. Oh, and to Lawrence Booth’s commit about a ton against the kiwis two tests ago- how many lives did he have in that innings?”
You bury your own point when you write “two innings”. And to answer your final question, I’ve just checked and he didn’t give up any chances.
12th over: England 34-2 (Ballance 7, Bell 9) Blessed runs for Ian Bell as Hazlewood goes on to leg stump, looking to bring it back in towards off but not managing it and Bell knocks it square through the leg side to the fence. There’s a very muted appeal a few balls later as Bell tries to hook one that’s whanged down the leg side, but the bat was nowhere near ball.
The cricket just keeps getting worse.
PLAY: Peters and Duckett opening up for Northants! Deficit is still 245 after being dismissed for 116 in the first innings. #NORvDER
— Northants Cricket (@NorthantsCCC) July 19, 2015
11th over: England 30-2 (Ballance 7, Bell 5) Ballance survives, giving off that same air of confidence as Billy preparing for his sword fight against the Preadtor.
10th over: England 30-2 (Ballance 7, Bell 5) After an exchange of singles, Ballance just about keeps a low one out with the bottom end of his bat. He drops the final ball into the off side for a quick single, which means he’ll be exposed to Johnson next up.
“Hi Dan,” writes Tony Cowards. “I love how the away team in cricket is referred to as the tourists, it conjures up images of the Aussies trudging around the London Underground, standing on the wrong side of escalators and blocking the entrances whilst starring intently into their guidebooks trying to work out how to get to Piccadilly Circus.”
Or dawdling along the platform with a video camera, oblivious to everyone who would rather actually get where they’re going today than capture the wonders of the Bakerloo line and inviting murderous thoughts from the poor bastard stuck behind them.
9th over: England 27-2 (Ballance 5, Bell 4) Change of bowling as Johnson replaces Starc, getting his first go with this hard new ball. He gets it to stay very low outside off, as he did in the first innings, largely down to his low slingy arm action. There’s nothing there that should interest Cook, but he picks the wrong shot and pays for it. England aren’t so much staring down the barrel as grabbing it and twisting it towards their own temple. Oof and then Bell gets an absolute peach first ball, swinging back in from a length, through the gate and catching the inside edge millimetres past his leg stump and down to fine leg for four. He just about fends off a bouncer last up.
Wicket! Cook c Nevill b Johnson 11
This is really poor. It’s a rank half tracker that moves away, but not far away enough for the cut shot to be on. Cut at it Cook does, getting a top edge through to the keeper.
Updated
8th over: England 23-1 (Ballance 5, Cook 11) Watchful from Cook, seeing of Hazelwood and digging out one that keeps low nicely. They run a single, then Ballance clips the last ball through the acres of space left out on the on side and away for four.
On Sky, Atherton makes the point that as a Yorkshireman playing most of his cricket at Headingley, Lyth won’t be used to leaving on length as often. That said, Hussain makes the counterpoint that he does keep getting out the same way, prodding at balls he has no business playing it. There isn’t really anyone banging on the door in County Cricket though.
Two Tests ago Lyth makes an accomplished hundred against NZ. Now people want him out. This isn't the 1980s, folks!
— Lawrence Booth (@the_topspin) July 19, 2015
7th over: England 18-1 (Ballance 1, Cook 10) In fact Hawkeye has that lbw appeal in the last over pitching in line, but it was going well over the top in any case. Here, Ballance takes a huge step back, almost on to his stumps, and turns the first ball off his chest and down to long leg for one. Cook then opens the face to a wide, full outswinger, guiding it behind point all along the ground for four down the slope. He keeps the strike with a mistimed chop to point for one.
“Is it too negative to suggest that the best possible outcome for England from this match would be for them to lose but score 340 (or more) runs in the process?” asks Tom Brain. “At least that way they’d’ve lost the second match by a smaller margin than they won the first one.”
Not at all: taking the positives, that, and it means England are ahead morally.
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6th over: England 12-1 (Ballance 0, Cook 5) Is there any player in world cricket you’d rather have play out a maiden for your life than Alastair Cook? There’s a strangled shout for lbw, but it’s pitched well outside leg.
“Perhaps this is the first time ever that a Lord’s pitch has been prepared such as to nullify the threat of Anderson’s bowling,” suggests John Bottomley. “It is also a pitch that makes Test cricket boring.”
It really is a stupid pitch and it’s done for England’s bowlers. Australia’s batsmen just had to show application and choose their shots wisely and there were runs to be had. You have to give the tourists credit for how well they’ve played the conditions though.
5th over: England 12-1 (Ballance 0, Cook 5) Starc sends down a short, wide loosener that Lyth reaches for and toe-ends into the ground, trying to cut. It’s good that he’s playing his natural game, I guess... oh no he won’t be doing that any more. Nine to go. Ballance’s first ball is full and swinging, but well kept out, and his second a bouncer that he ducks well.
That was really poor from Lyth, playing at one that was always going to fly miles over the stumps. Really no need to play any shot at all.
Ballance coming in at <11 overs for the 16th time in his last 21 innings at number three.
— Nicholas Sharland (@NickSharland) July 19, 2015
Wicket! Lyth c Nevill b Starc 7
Oh dear. Back of a length, outside off and Lyth fends at it with the hands away from the body. It takes the thinnest of edges and it’s an easy catch for Nevill.
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4th over: England 12-0 (Lyth 7, Cook 5) Four slips and a short leg in for Lyth, facing Hazlewood in the first over after lunch. The bowler was a touch wayward before lunch and he stays on to leg here; Lyth gratefully clips it off his pads through midwicket for his first boundary, before dropping the fifth ball into the off side and jogging a single. Ooh and then risky from Cook, who prods the final ball into the on side with soft hands and sees it drop a couple of inches in front of short leg’s fingers.
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David Wall asks: “Re. Lunch: as a serious question, do the players really have a three course meal at lunch time as the players’ menu suggests, or can they pick and choose a couple of things as they like? Perhaps the sports science shows otherwise but on the face of it you’d have though rushing down a load of food, some of it sounding quite heavy, in about half an hour wouldn’t be the best thing to be on top of your game in the afternoon session. Sounds more likely to induce an afternoon nap, perhaps down at fine leg or third man. Wouldn’t the standard Guardian OBO-ers’ menu of pickled onion monster munch, tepid soup from the vending machine, and a chunky kitkat be more appropriate to keep them lean and alert?”
Well when I was playing Tests...
The answer is I have absolutely no clue. I know I barely have time to get to Pret and queue for a sandwich in the 40 minute break, let alone wolf down a four course meal.
A more realistic take on how England can save this:
@DanLucas86 England's 8 (that's 8!!) proper batsmen need to bat an average of 150 mins for the draw. On this pitch, not that hard surely?
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) July 19, 2015
That’s true. Effectively, ever man from 1-11 needs to bat 15 overs, which isn’t a huge ask when you consider that the top eight should be more than capable of batting far, far more than that.
BUT this is a team that has been battered and kicked around for about eight out of the 10 sessions we’ve played so far. They’re demoralised and knackered. Furthermore, Lyth, Ballance, Bell and Buttler aren’t exactly in the greatest of form; for all the virtues of New Attacking England, we haven’t seen them grind it out and save a Test yet.
There was a typo in my Anderson stat earlier: it was The Oval, rather than Lord’s, where he went wicketless in both innings. This is the first time he’s failed to take a wicket at the home of cricket. And...
This is first time in 59 Tests James Anderson hasn’t taken a wicket - longest run since Fred Trueman went 67 Tests pic.twitter.com/gkipX80pFa
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) July 19, 2015
Afternoon folks. I’ve been doing some maths and some logical thinking stuff and here’s what I’ve figured out.
England have batted three overs in this innings and have lost zero wickets. There are another 152 overs in this Test match and 152 x 0 = zero. They also scored seven runs in those three overs.
Now they’ve also scored seven runs in those three overs, which gives them a run rate of 2.3ish. Sadly that’s not going to be enough to win the match, BUT there is an easy solution to this! One way to score loads of runs is to not get out and hit loads of fours. Now, I’ve seen these batsmen in action. I’ve seen them face like, hundreds of balls that they’ve not got out to. I’ve also seen them hit loads of fours. So if they go out there and don’t get out and hit loads and loads of fours, they’ll win this match and go 2-0 up!
I’ve talked to women before, literally lots of times. I’ve been on dates with them, too. I even have a girlfriend and have, on loads of occasions, been pleasant company and ensured that she’s had a good enough time that she fancies me. I’ve also been to LA before, which is where Hollywood is.
I can therefore go to LA and to Hollywood and I can go on dates with Natalie Portman!
Sometimes I go into places, like shops, and find things that I want. Then I tap my debit card on a machine and that thing is actually mine.
This one time, I stayed in a massive chateau in the south of France and I thought it’d be great if I lived there. So what I can do is go to the south of France, to this massive chateau, and I can tap my debit card on a machine and I will actually have a massive chateau in the south of France!
Life is rosy for England fans.
LUNCH
And so to lunch. Here’s the players’ menu, which provokes one significant question: what precisely has Marian done to the swordfish?
Right, time for a spot of lunch! Our brilliant chef Fouhed has the menu: #LoveLords pic.twitter.com/N0owVPm466
— Lord's Ground (@HomeOfCricket) July 19, 2015
Dan Lucas will be here shortly, and will take you through the first hour or so of the afternoon session. All emails to him here from now on, if you’d be so kind. Cheers!
3rd over: England 7-0 (Lyth 2, Cook 5)
… and exhale. There’s an edge from Cook, but the ball bounces about three feet from the bat, no chance of a catch. Still, it might have got the batsman’s nerves aflutter, and Starc emphatically fails to capitalise with three wide deliveries that he can leave with ease. England go for lunch, just the 502 runs from glory.
@Simon_Burnton Having failed with Google can I tap The Wisdom of OBO? Does anyone know how I can stream TMS from abroad? #Ashes2015
— Paul Mitchell (@phmitch) July 19, 2015
It’s streamed on YouTube (unavailable in some territories) here. Enjoy!
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2nd over: England 7-0 (Lyth 2, Cook 5)
Hazlewood’s first over is all over the place linewise, with deliveries going down leg, well wide of off and straight. The last two yield singles. One over to go before lunch, and England remain uncrumbled.
1st over: England 5-0 (Lyth 1, Cook 4)
Obviously the sun shines on Australia’s batsmen, and then clouds arrive the moment an Englishman straps on a pad. He defends Starc’s first delivery competently enough, leaves the second, and gets a single from the third. Just repeat that triple-whammy about 400 times and England are home dry. Cook pushes his first ball off his pads and square for four. There’s a loud lbw appeal off the next, which other than possibly pitching outside the line, definitely flicking the bat and probably being on its way over the stumps was a decent shout.
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Out come the batsmen. If England are going to do this, they need big runs, they need to score them slowly, and they want absolutely no drama in the 11 or so minutes between now and lunch. Here goes …
Some stat action from Dan Lucas:
James Anderson’s wicketless innings was his third in a row. The last time he experienced such a drought was six years ago in the 2009 Ashes, where he failed to take a wicket in the only Australia innings at Headingley and was also luckless in both digs at the Oval.
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The biggest successful fourth-innings run chase in first class history is West Zone’s 541 to beat South Zone in the Duleep Trophy final in Hyderabad in 2010. Enjoy the scoreboard here.
Australia declare and set England a target of 509 to win
49th over: Australia 254-2 (Clarke 32, Marsh 27)
Marsh runs down the wicket and smashes Moeen down the ground for six, taking England’s target beyond 500. And then he does it again, not quite as convincingly but with an identical result. Australia decide that’ll do, and fancy a few pre-lunch overs at England’s quaking, fearful and out-of-sorts top order.
Updated
48th over: Australia 239-2 (Clarke 30, Marsh 14)
Marsh inside-edges the final ball to very fine leg for four, ending a run of 12 singles (and one dot) from 13 successive Root deliveries.
@Simon_Burnton Please Burnton, England are doomed anyway, can you please print all the emails of the Wright couple? pretty please :D
— Bpn Rml (@bpnrml) July 19, 2015
47th over: Australia 231-2 (Clarke 28, Marsh 8)
Moeen bowls, and in addition to three more singles there’s a two. England’s target is also way out in world record territory, but Australia aren’t finished yet.
46th over: Australia 227-2 (Clarke 25, Marsh 7)
Root bowls, and it’s like an episode of Blind Date – a whole bunch of singles, but not especially exciting. Six singles, to be precise. A full house. Up on the Australia balcony, there’s no sign of anyone preparing for anything.
Most runs after 30 Tests: Bradman: 3,969 Weekes: 2,938 Smith: 2,925 #Ashes pic.twitter.com/y3k13xPbmC
— Samuel Ferris (@samuelfez) July 19, 2015
45th over: Australia 221-2 (Clarke 22, Marsh 4)
A relatively sedate over from Moeen, bringing as it does a couple of singles.
44th over: Australia 219-2 (Clarke 21, Marsh 3)
More spin, with Joe Root coming on, and his first ball is pretty much giftwrapped, and Clarke sends it to the deep extra cover boundary. “At the risk of sounding like the bickering airport tannoys at the start of Airplane, please allow me to point out that my wife’s title of ‘Cricket Expert’ is self-appointed and open to debate,” roars Rob Wright, responding to the email of over 36. “Shouting ‘Ooh that’s plum!’ whenever there’s a sniff of LBW, and ‘Gosh, James Anderson is a handsome man’ does not necessarily equate to cricketing expertise. How we laughed on the way to Relate…”
43rd over: Australia 210-2 (Clarke 15, Marsh 0)
Smith took 48 balls over his 58, out in search of his 10th boundary. Highlight of the over was a perfect slog-sweep from Clarke, not really any less delicious because it picked out a fielder. “The Aussies could declare now, but being somewhat cautious will probably wait until 12:30 - 12:40, so as to have a few overs at the English openers and successors and enjoy lunch even more,” predicts John Starbuck.
WICKET! Smith b Moeen 58 (Australia 210-2)
Smith advances down the pitch and attempts to launch the ball into orbit, but misses.
Updated
42nd over: Australia 208-1 (Smith 57, Clarke 14)
Broad switches up, going over the wicket and bowling straight and wide at Smith, rather than across him and wide. Smith doesn’t put up with it for long, hacking the second ball to midwicket for a couple, smashing the third past point for four – most of the fielders are out there waiting for it, and they still can’t get anywhere near it – and wandering way wide of off stump before inside-edging the fourth to the fine leg boundary. Broad bowls the fifth at the stumps, and it too goes to fine leg for four. Somewhere in the middle of those three boundaries, he passes 50. Australia lead by 462.
Updated
41st over: Australia 193-1 (Smith 42, Clarke 14)
Moeen’s opening delivery is sent soaring over extra cover by Clarke for four. There have been some lovely shots played in the last hour, and we should probably enjoy it while we can, as I don’t expect we’ll be seeing much aggression for the remainder of the day. If Australia wanted a lead of 450, it is now just three runs away.
40th over: Australia 187-1 (Smith 41, Clarke 9)
Broad’s over starts with a nice yorker, which Clarke digs out for a single, and a couple more singles follow. Smith, still tired of chasing after wide balls when Broad’s bowling, gets around it by twice taking guard three feet wide of the stumps. Five singles and two off the last, and Australia lead by 441.
@Simon_Burnton What is this soi disant "scoreboard pressure"? Everyone expects England to lose, so don't look at the scoreboard. Just net.
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) July 19, 2015
With the current match situation the scoreboard is totally irrelevant. The game for England is not scoring runs, but batting time. They might as well turn the thing off and replace it with a big clock.
39th over: Australia 180-1 (Smith 37, Clarke 6)
Bang! Clarke hoiks the ball over midwicket for four! Biff! Smith bashes it down the ground for four more! And here’s some news just in from Ali Martin at Lord’s:
Update from the Cricket Australia media manager on the condition of Rogers, who tells us he simply suffered a sudden dizzy spell out in the middle. He was fine before the start of play but is now resting in the dressing room. So no visit to the neighbouring Wellington Hospital as it stands, which is good news.
38th over: Australia 171-1 (Smith 33, Clarke 1)
Smith, having chased a wide Broad delivery in his last over, chases another one in this. He misses it again. Then he does it one more time, and this time tonks the ball straight to point. Bored of having to reach for wide balls, next time Smith shuffles across a bit more than usual, which allows him to bosh the ball high to the deep extra cover boundary.
37th over: Australia 167-1 (Smith 29, Clarke 1)
Clarke gets under way first ball, with a slightly risky single to mid off, where Stokes collects the ball, takes a shy at the stumps and misses. “So what will be the tipping point now for the declaration now Warner has gone? 500 lead?” asks Dave Milnes. I’d have thought they’d want at least 450, but really five full sessions with no rain forecast should be enough, so if they fancy carrying on until lunch surely there’s no reason why they shouldn’t. They currently lead by 421.
WICKET! Warner c Cook b Moeen 83 (Australia 165-1)
A wicket! England take a wicket! Warner slashes the ball high to short extra cover, where the captain takes the catch!
Updated
36th over: Australia 164-0 (Warner 83, Smith 27)
Broad bowls now, and when he gives Smith some width the batsman is tempted into an ugly side-batted swish, which completely misses the ball. The next ball is paddled around the corner for three. “I’m Cleone, Rob Wright’s wife. My husband seems to have a pretty good record at getting his emails printed so thought I’d give it a go,” writes Cleone Wright, and with an opening like that it’s hard to refuse. “Hope Rogers is ok, photos look worrying. We are on the train home after attending Lords yesterday. Lovely day as always at Lords but a depressing position for England. I suspect batting for five sessions is beyond our boys on this wicket, so to me it’s onwards and upwards to the next test. I can cope with a 4-1 victory instead of a whitewash. My theory is we are letting them win this one to give them hope, so that when we crush them it will be all the sweeter.
“P.S. My husband knows nothing about cricket. I’m the real expert in this family. Thank you.” Well that’s the last time Rob Wright has an email printed. His credibility’s shot to pieces now.
35th over: Australia 158-0 (Warner 80, Smith 24)
Moeen continues, and after a Warner single Smith edges well wide of the single slip for four. There’s also a smattering of singles. Australia lead by 412.
Five of Warner's 12 Test hundreds have come in the third innings
— Lawrence Booth (@the_topspin) July 19, 2015
34th over: Australia 151-0 (Warner 78, Smith 19)
Warner crunches the ball through the covers, very nice shot, and then Smith flicks the ball into the air but perfectly safe, over midwicket and away for four more. Australia roar past 150, lead by 405 and will presumably stay out until Warner’s reached triple figures but not much longer.
@Simon_Burnton dizziness? I think Rogers saw a stray Watto payslip late yesterday I bet he has been awake thinking what if all night #Ashes
— Sayings McSayings (@GreenNGoldMatt) July 19, 2015
33rd over: Australia 142-0 (Warner 73, Smith 15)
Moeen Ali replaces Anderson, and Smith goes for a drive, misjudges the bounce and inside edges past his stumps – well wide of the stumps – and away for three. Then Warner pulls through midwicket, Ian Bell dives to stop the ball a foot from the rope and he too gets three runs. Smith’s going at a run a ball, and Warner looks ready to play a few shots.
32nd over: Australia 133-0 (Warner 67, Smith 12)
Droppedish! Wood keeps bowling straight at Warner, and he tries to club the ball over Root at mid on, but the fielder leaps up one-handed and gets a few fingertips to it, but can’t hold on.
31st over: Australia 130-0 (Warner 65, Smith 11)
Smith drives past cover for four, off the middle of the bat, nicely timed. Anderson’s last six overs have each featured one four.
@Simon_Burnton hope that Rogers is well, can't help but think he brought it upon himself. A strike rate of 63.63 is dizzingly high for him.
— Matthew Oberklaid (@mattoberklaid) July 19, 2015
Updated
30th over: Australia 126-0 (Warner 65, Smith 7)
Wood continues to Warner, bowling at or over the stumps, very straight. One goes a little towards leg, and Warner flicks it fine for four.
29th over: Australia 122-0 (Warner 61, Smith 7)
Smith gets off the mark with three runs to deep extra cover, and gets even further from the mark with a flick to the deep square leg boundary.
Rogers retires on 49 after suffering from dizziness. Smith is in for Australia. http://t.co/kKpO6qjzEo #Ashes pic.twitter.com/wmKRP7JNYn
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 19, 2015
Rogers retires dizzy 49
Between overs Rogers takes off his helmet and goes down on his knees. After a minute or so, he sits back on the ground. Someone runs on with a bottle of water, though surely it’s a bit early in the day for dehydration to be an issue. He was hit hard on the head by an Anderson bouncer yesterday, which hopefully has nothing to do with anything. Given the match position, surely there’s no point taking any risks with his health. Up on the balcony, Steve Smith pulls on his gloves.
Updated
28th over: Australia 114-0 (Warner 60, Rogers 49)
Mark Wood starts the day with a straight yorker, and Warner jams his bat down upon the ball. England kind of hope this might have squished the ball sufficiently for them to get a new one, but the umpires twice deny their request. And then Warner defends to point, Rogers runs halfway down the track in search of a run that was never there and might have been run out, had the fielder only been facing the other way when he picked up the ball. A maiden.
Updated
27th over: Australia 114-0 (Warner 60, Rogers 49)
Anderson bowls, and there’s a single, a leg bye, a boundary past point and one delivery that bounces unexpectedly high and angrily smacks Rogers’ bat in the shoulder.
In the third innings when Australia have a 1st innings lead, David Warner has 1086 runs at 63.88 with five centuries. pic.twitter.com/gfh3h8oFeL
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) July 19, 2015
Updated
The players trot out. Big day, this. Australia will hope to end it on the verge of victory. England have no hope of victory, but will hope to at least end it with lots of wickets in hand and a chance of a draw. Let’s (watch other people) play(ing) cricket!
So Michael Vaughan says England have “shot themselves in the foot” by asking for a slow pitch at Lord’s. “By preparing a real slow wicket, you’re basically saying you don’t trust your top seven, which is a really poor message to send,” he told the BBC. ““It hasn’t been good for England or for cricket. It just gave Australia the opportunity to get that confident buzz back into the side.” Whatever the pre-match logic, it’s certainly ended up looking very silly indeed, and there’s no much point in having an “attacking brand of cricket” if you’ve got such a negative brand of pitch-preparation.
My colleague Daniel Harris appears to be at Lord’s, though I’m not far away and don’t see any of those grey clouds. Anyway, wine straight from the bottle at 10.30am shows real commitment.
Outstanding behaviour pic.twitter.com/evhVbePJYd
— Daniel Harris (@DanielHarris) July 19, 2015
In case you’re still hoping for rain today, here’s a weather forecast featuring chances of precipitation. In brief: no chance.
Hello world!
There was talk of rain delaying the start today, but instead the sky is bright blue, dappled with occasional fluffy clouds. So nothing will stop Australia’s unhurried run-accumulation except Australia themselves, when they’ve decided they’ve got enough of them. They lead by 362, so will want another 80-odd and to leave themselves plenty of time to bowl England out on this flat, dry and featureless strip of earth:
Here's the pitch ahead of day four. #Ashes pic.twitter.com/FbXe9goyVp
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 19, 2015
Hello. Simon will be along shortly for the fourth day of the second Test. The first three days have been low on highlights for England, but one man shone with the bat in the refined air of a Lord’s Saturday, or so says Barney Ronay:
There was a brief period before lunch at Lord’s when England looked to be in command, if not of the Test match, then at least of their immediate destiny. As Lord’s hummed and chattered in the sunshine, the clock not yet ticked round to the approved champagne-popping hour just before midday, it seemed possible England’s batsman might even be about to provide a show to fit the occasion. Or in other words, for a while this looked like it might be a Ben Stokes day.
Saturday of the Lord’s Test is an occasion that still seems to demand a little extra burnish, played out in front of a crowd that retains a kind of shared red-trousered folk memory of the social season, pegged out around Henley, Wimbledon, Lord’s, and assorted other summer bean-feasts. The narrow public spaces are extra-crammed with pleasure-seekers. The boater count, the combined chino-acreage, reach a seasonal pitch. And the entire elegantly shadowed micro-climate seems to hum with a fresh pitch of self-regarding event glamour.
For Stokes, this was a rare opportunity at the start of play. There may be one or two things in life better than being a thrillingly talented 24-year-old facing three sessions of fine, even batting conditions on a sunny Lord’s Saturday. But not many spring to mind. In the event Stokes played a dreamy, forceful innings that is unlikely to alter much the destiny of this match. But which confirmed, once again, his own elevated status in the past six months, from half-cocked lower-order all-rounder to a genuinely high-grade batsman of uncluttered, muscular class.
From his first scoring shot here, a supple steer down to third man, to the surprise of his dismissal on 87, betrayed by his only false shot of the day, Stokes confirmed his status as one of the very few players in this England lineup Australia fear. And not for his aggression, or his brawn, but simply for his skills. In fact, at times with a bat in his hand, Stokes could almost be Australian, some high-class Perth-raised biffer who relishes quick bowling and quick pitches, and whose aggression seems entirely unforced, a natural, neutral gear.
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