James Anderson led a demolition job on the Australian batting lineup as England took a stranglehold in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s. He starred in an inspired bowling performance compared to the home side’s limp showing in Cardiff as the tourists slumped to 8-156 at stumps on day two in reply to England’s 425.
Nathan Hauritz (3no) and Peter Siddle (3no) were unbeaten when play ended due to bad light after Australia lost 6-49 in 15.1 overs after tea.
Anderson (4-36), who captured five wickets at 82.60 in the 2006/07 Ashes series in Australia, answered lingering questions on Friday about his big game temperament by making great use of the overcast conditions.
He removed Phillip Hughes (4) and Ricky Ponting (2) to put Australia on the backfoot at 2-10 before returning later on to dismiss Michael Clarke (1) and Marcus North (0).
Mike Hussey (51) and Simon Katich (48) made starts but the rest of the batsmen struggled against a disciplined English performance in good conditions for seam bowling.
The home side do have one concern though over the fitness of Kevin Pietersen, who has a niggling Achilles tendon injury, as he spent time off the field during the final session.
Other than that it was all smiles after Anderson made the early inroads, giving the Queen good reason to smile from the stands before she met the players during the lunch break.
The right-armer had Hughes gloving a wide ball down the leg side to wicketkeeper Matt Prior in the third over of the innings.
Four overs later, Anderson claimed the scalp his side was craving in Ponting, South African umpire Rudi Koertzen ruling that Ponting had been caught at first slip.
Koertzen hesitated before asking for the third umpire’s advice but the third official could only rule on whether the ball had carried and Ponting was removed.
Replays showed Ponting missed the inswinging delivery and hit his bat hit his boot, the ball deflecting off his pad to be collected on the full by Andrew Strauss.
The captain looked less than impressed with Koertzen’s decision but Anderson otherwise had strong claims for an lbw decision.
Katich and Hussey pulled Australia out of deep trouble with a 93-run stand but the tourists collapsed after Katich top-edged a pull shot off Graham Onions with Stuart Broad taking a fine diving catch in the deep.
Departing allrounder Flintoff was then rewarded for his tight line with Hussey leaving a ball that clipped the top of off stump.
Anderson returned to the attack and Clarke fell to a well worked trap with Cook taking a sharp catch at midwicket after the right-hander flicked it to the leg side.
North and Haddin tried to steady the innings by putting on 28 but Cardiff centurion North failed to get going and fell inside-edging a pull shot back onto his middle stump.
Australia’s wickets continued to fall when Mitchell Johnson (4) miscued a pull shot off Broad (2-47) with Cook taking the catch in the deep.
The floodlights came on and the artificial light took over, that should have led to an early close but the umpires kept the players on the field.
Brad Haddin (28) then fell, his pull shot lobbing gently to Cook before the officials called it a day soon afterwards.
Rain caused two stoppages totalling about 80 minutes in the middle session and play was called off 24 minutes beyond the usual stumps time.
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spiro said | July 18th 2009 @ 8:35am | Report comment
Ricky Ponting got a double jeopardy decision. If it wasn’t out caught, which it actually was not, it was probably out LBW, although I agree with Shane Warne that the ball looked to be slipping down outside the leg stump. The video, though, showed it hitting the stumps. I don’t have a lot of faith in these replays, however.
Australia is in a tough spot. Everything has worked perfectly for England. It got the best of the batting conditions on the first day. Then the ball started swinging on the second day with time before lunch to pick up a couple of wickets. Then the breaks and bad light meant that the swing bowlers were fresh throughout the day and could pressure on the batsmen.
This is a real Test for Australia now. England got out of jail at Cardiff. Now it’s the turn of the Baggy Green Caps to make an escape. They can’t win this Test. They have to ensure they don’t lose it. Someone, probably a couple of batsmen, have to play very big innings in the second dig.
sheek said | July 18th 2009 @ 10:21am | Report comment
What is happening in the second test explains why England were so excited at escaping with a draw in the first test. The English understand better than most, the importance of living to survive another day (eg, Dunkirk).
Unless the Aussies get over their dominant first test performance & WAGs distraction fog, England will go one-up in a series the Aussies felt should be 1-1.
When Ricky Ponting was criticising the English for cheating with their time wasting tactics in the first test, I thought he would be better served thinking about his bowlers being more effective in securing 20 cheap wickets.
Gee, if ever there was truth in the saying – you’re only as good as your last performance – this second test has borne that out.
Dave said | July 18th 2009 @ 2:27pm | Report comment
why do you think there is a WAGs distraction fog?
Benjamin Conkey said | July 18th 2009 @ 3:24pm | Report comment
Meanwhile Steve Harmison continues to push for selection…6 for 20 off 12.3 overs against Notts.
It’s been awhile since England had so many bowlers to choose from.
What about that ball that dismissed Hussey by Flintoff…It was 153kph!
The big question is..will England enforce the follow-on if they can? Surely they will. The bowlers are fresh and they have Australia on the ropes.
Dave said | July 18th 2009 @ 4:51pm | Report comment
maybe if they stopped getting out to the hook shot.
whiteline said | July 18th 2009 @ 5:04pm | Report comment
Harmison needs to come in for that bloke off Harry Potter – Thorpie (Hughes) is looking a touch confused – Poor old Ricky continues to show us the value of the lack of a proper education and it looks like the English have a great opportunity to go one up in a series that Ricky’s incompetence will show through again. I wonder if they would have won in India in 2004 if Ponting was the leader? Highly unlikely.
Dave said | July 18th 2009 @ 5:09pm | Report comment
“Poor old Ricky continues to show us the value of the lack of a proper education”??????
That’s a pretty Kumblelike statement
The English are better educated? what you have to go to a posh school like Strauss
What Anderson and Flintoff are more educated?
And what does going to school have to do with any of this?
whiteline said | July 18th 2009 @ 5:21pm | Report comment
Hey Dave
Nothing to with school champ. In case you haven’t been watching the past 5 years, Ponting conducts himself in a manner which hardly promotes the wee documented ethos of the Australian Cricket Team of playing within the Spirit of the game etc etc.
Have you noticed how Strauss handled the issue last week? With dignity. Same as Kumble last year whereas Ricky went on the defensive as he always seems to do.
The amount of media, management and leadership training he has received over the years and he still has no idea on how to act with humility and charm.
By the way, I’m Australian Dave but would be much more comfortable with someone else leading the team – not that it’s Ponting’s fault he was selected as the leader.
vinay verma said | July 18th 2009 @ 5:44pm | Report comment
Benjamin- I believe England will seek to bat Australia out of the game and the plan would be to declare at lunch on the fourth day with a lead close to 600.
On the other hand Australia’s only chance is if England do enforce the follow on. If Australia bat well and give England 250 to chase in four sessions it could be interesting.
The rain may have something to say in all of this.
Dave said | July 19th 2009 @ 4:22pm | Report comment
Whiteline
Again what does that have to do with someones education. You siad he doesnt have a proper education.
Are you sugesting that Struass had a better education? therefore he is better.
Kumble was a disgrace as a captain 2007/2008 in Australia. possibly the worst captain to visit Australia.
His coment after the test caused an international incident.
Pontng did nother wrong Kumble did. The treatment of Poniting was disgusting.
Kumble coments were just him thaking his pompous upper/upper middle class values and using them to judge everybody else by.
He was wrong