The Ashes 2nd Test Highlights: England needs 257 runs to beat Australia on final day to revive their honour
The Ashes 2nd Test Highlights: When Mitchell Starc collected Ben Duckett’s ramp on the fine leg boundary 13 minutes before the end of the game, Australia felt it had a sixth wicket. Starc made the catch with both hands but slowed his skid on his knees with the ball hand. The third umpire determined that it wasn’t a clean catch because of such move.
After nearly being caught in the first over and reaching 50, Duckett was still unbroken, and captain Ben Stokes was at 29.
By stumps, England was behind 257 runs after being down 45-4.
Injured Nathan Lyon batted for an Australia squad that was having trouble scoring against a torrent of bouncers on a remarkable fourth day, and the tailender helped add 15 runs for the last wicket and increase their advantage to 370.
The Ashes 2nd Test Highlights: England needs 257 runs to beat Australia on final day to revive their honour
Only once in test history has England successfully chased a score of 371 or more, and that was last year at Edgbaston against India. But it never pursued so many at Lord’s, and as Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins destroyed the top order, it became increasingly implausible in front of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Princes William and George.
When he floated an edge off Starc into the safe hands of diving wicketkeeper Alex Carey, Zac Crawley was out for three in the third over.
In the fifth over, Ollie Pope also went for three runs after being hit inside by Starc and having his middle stump crushed by an inswinger travelling at 89 mph (143 kph).
Joe Root skillfully turned a few boundaries off Josh Hazlewood, but on 18, he leapt to block a face-high riser from Cummins that was coming up the slope, and he edged the ball to David Warner at first slip.
For Harry Brook, whose off stump he sent over for four runs in the same over, Cummins held back an even better delivery.
After being dropped by Starc in the first over by a stretched-out Cameron Green, Duckett went on to score his second fifty of the game. They created a 69-run unbroken stand with Stokes.
Nathan Lyon’s heroic innings helps Australia post a massive 371-run target
Lyon’s appearance brought life to what had been a somewhat dull day up until that point. The final wicket pair adopted a boundary-or-bust strategy in a ridiculous period that produced some of the simplest dot balls ever bowled, as only half of the partnership had the gift of movement.
The only actual run in a partnership of 15 came by mistake, with Starc’s would-be six strangely clawed back by Rehan Ahmed’s amazing substitute fielding, which made a sluggish Lyon suddenly bounce through for one.
The English fan hypothesis that Australia may come to regret his fourth-innings penetration soon looked fanciful after Starc and Cummins’s burst as the 35-year-old made what might turn out to be his final exit from an English Test stadium to acclaim from all sides.
If Lyon’s batting performance proves to be significant, we will have seen another thrilling game. Even if it proves insufficient, England will have created something remarkable.
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