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Australia has defeated England to the tune of 405 runs in the fourth day of the test at Lord’s.
More:
>> REPORT: Aussies level Ashes series with 405-run win
>> David Warner emerges from his slump
>> Liebke ratings – Second Ashes Test
The English batting order collapsed like the proverbial house built on sand, all out for just 103 runs in their second innnings.
Steve Smith was named man of the match.
A docile Lord’s pitch continued to give bowlers problems but Australia have moved into a position of great strength in the second Ashes 2015 Test against England. You can follow the live blog of the fourth day of this second Ashes Test from 8:00pm AEST.
Alastair Cook and Ben Stokes, England’s two not-out batsmen from the previous day, seemed to have done their job well in the first session of play.
They batted almost till the lunch break and had it not been for an untimely wicket of Stokes, bowled off an inside edge to Mitchell Marsh, things might have ended slightly differently for England.
Jos Buttler didn’t last as long as his captain would have liked but it was Cook’s wicket that would have hurt England the most.
After having played out a total of 233 deliveries, a century looked almost certain for him but much like Stokes, an inside edge ended his knock. Marsh was the wicket-taker yet again and England crumbled away soon after.
And while from being 4/30 on day two to finish up 312 would have pleased England, the fact they fell 254 runs short of Australia’s first innings score makes it a difficult position for the home team to be in.
What made it tougher was they failed to take early wickets. And the unhelpful pitch also meant that without enduring any risks, the Australian batsmen managed to get themselves to 0/108 in the 26 overs they played.
Warner was already dropped once en route his second fifty of the series while Chris Rogers’ aggression continued to surface as he aimed for his ninth score of more than 50 in 10 Test innings.
What that means is that when Australia resume batting on day four, they will start 362 runs ahead. With all their 10 wickets intact, one can expect them to go down the same route – bat for about a session or a tad more and set up a target of around 500 for England.
And while the pitch continues to remain a national highway, the sheer pressure of chasing down an improbable target and having to bat for around 140 overs after being mentally battered won’t do England any good.
Where England can really take hope from is the manner in which they batted on day three. Cook and Stoke and to an extent, Moeen showed it can be done but it will need the top-order to not fall to another of those three-for-less-than-fifty starts that has been the bane of their performances this Ashes so far.
One way or the other, England are long odds to save this Test and go into the third with their lead intact. For that, they might also make the odd glance heavenward as they hope for some rain to reduce their task.
Follow the live scores & blog of the fourth day of this England v Australia 2nd Ashes Test match from 8:00pm AEST on Sunday and post your comments in the section below.
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