Ashes 2023, 2nd Test Day 5: Ben Stokes’ historic 155 falls short as Australia lead 2-0 with a defining victory

Ashes 2023, 2nd Test Day 5: A famous win for Australia at Lord’s as they take a 2-0 lead in the series. The conditions were tough for them and the injury to Nathan Lyon did not help them one bit, but they overcame every difficult situation and held their nerve to get over the line.

However, they had to dig hard for it as Ben Stokes almost pulled off a Headingley 2019, but the visitors survived that scare and takes one step closer to retaining the Ashes. Steven Smith is the Player of the Match for his brilliant hundred in the first innings.

Australia continued the winning run in the ongoing Ashes series as they defeated England by 43 runs at Lord’s to go 2-0 up in the five-match Ashes series. Chasing 371, England’s second innings folded for 327 with Ben Stokes scoring 155 and putting a great fight.

The England skipper was involved in two century-plus stands, one with Stuart Broad and the other with Ben Duckett. Soon after his dismissal England lost two more wickets for just one run. James Anderson and Josh Tongue put up a brief stand before Mitchell Starc brought an end to the proceedings in the second session. England had begun Day 5 from the overnight score of 114/4. England lost the wicket of Jonny Bairstow in a controversial but not an unfair manner. 

Ashes 2023, 2nd Test Day 5: Ben Stokes ends 14-year Ashes drought with outstanding century

Four years after he pulled off the Headingly heist, Ben Stokes produced another epic. The England Test captain notched up a century for the ages – the 13th of his career to give his team a solid chance of registering a series-levelling win. Unfortunately, Stokes and England would not be lucky as they were at Leeds 2019. Stokes’ annihilating innings came to an end at 155, and soon after Australia completed the formalities to take a 2-0 lead with a 43-run win at Lord’s.

Apart from Stokes and Duckett, other batters failed to contribute significantly. Duckett’s dismissal just after drinks in the first session on Day 5 was followed by Bairstow’s quick departure due to a lapse in concentration. Stokes, however, played aggressively, smashing a century and hitting several sixes before eventually holding out to Josh Hazlewood.

His performance earned him applause from both English and Australian spectators and opposition players as well. Steven Smith was the most relieved man as he dropped Stokes on 114 earlier in the second session. Following Stokes’ wicket, England’s batting order collapsed, with the visitors reducing them to 301-9. Although James Anderson and Josh Tongue resisted for a while, England ultimately fell short of the target by 43 runs.

Also read: Extraordinary Bairstow run out ignites controversy on final day of Ashes

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