MAN OF THE DAY
Alastair Cook looked entirely unruffled during the morning session as he rediscovered some form of old to draw the sting from the Australia attack ... until he took a painful blow on the point of the elbow from a Mitchell Johnson bouncer just before sandwiches. On the upside, his treatment from the physio used up a good four minutes as England played out for lunch without further mishap.
COMMENTARY OF THE DAY
Mike Atherton: “Perfect morning for England: 25 overs, 90 runs scored for the loss of no wickets.” Ian Botham: “Ever heard of the commentator’s curse?” Cue the sound of Ben Stokes’ broken stumps a second or so later.
WEIRD STAT OF THE DAY
Stokes, for all his heroics with the bat alongside captain Cook, actually only managed his worst England score better than zero at Lord’s. After a pair against India last summer, Stokes has added 92, 101 and now 87 in three innings there.
BUSMAN’S HOLI-OF-THE-DAY
Fresh from watching an international football team underperform on the big stage, England Under-21s coach Gareth Southgate was among those watching the cricket boys do likewise at Lord’s.
DECISION OF THE DAY
As Australia appealed for a catch behind, umpire Kumar Dharmasena was caught in mid-headshake when Jos Buttler opted to walk. A seamless transition into a nod followed, as did a rather sheepish finger‑raise.
BALL OF THE DAY
Steve Smith, the world’s No1 Test batsman, came into the Australia team as a leg-spinner in 2010. Five years later it seems he still hasn’t perfected his googly, as his attempt to Cook almost bounced twice on its way down the wicket. Cook saw the funny side.
