All to play for on final day of Lord's Test as England and Australia trade blows on thrilling Day 4
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Updated 01/07/2023 at 18:32 GMT
The second Ashes Test fluctuated on day four, as England produced some excellent bowling to put Australia on the back foot. But the tourists ended the day on the front foot after they delivered a masterclass of seam and swing bowling at Lord's. The Test will conclude on Sunday, and Australia will enter it as strong favourites to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
Pat Cummins celebrates after dismissing Joe Root during Day Four of the LV= Insurance Ashes 2nd Test match between England and Australia at Lord's Cricket Ground on July 01, 2023 in London, England
Image credit: Getty Images
England roared back into the match on day four of the second Ashes Test, but a brilliant evening with the ball from Australia saw the tourists move into the ascendancy at Lord’s.
Ben Stokes’ England employed the short ball to superb effect to blow Australia away in their second innings, leaving the hosts with a victory target of 371.
Australia were still in the ascendancy with runs on the board, and they ended the session on the front foot after ripping through the top order to leave England 114 for 4 at stumps.
England elected to employ the short-ball barrage that proved so successful for Australia’s bowlers in the first innings, and it also paid off.
Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith initially elected to evade rather than play the short ball, which led to a holding pattern in the game.
England’s pacers persisted and Khawaja (77) eventually blinked, and was caught at deep backward square leg off the bowling of Stuart Broad.
Smith, who had been totally untroubled in making 34, succumbed four balls later. He elected to help a short ball round the corner and only succeeded in picking out Zak Crawley on the boundary at backward square leg.
Travis Head (7), who was dropped first ball when playing the cut shot, went into defensive mode but he too departed as he fended off a short ball and Joe Root took an excellent diving catch at short leg.
The catch moved Root clear of Alastair Cook at the top of the list of England fielders in Test cricket with 176 victims.
Although holding a substantial advantage, Australia looked a shade wobbly at 197 for 5 - a lead of 288 - and Alex Carey and Cameron Green set about a rebuild.
The short-ball policy continued after lunch, but Green and Carey resisted the temptation for over an hour.
Green (18) eventually took the risk, and he picked out Ben Duckett on the fence at square leg to hand Ollie Robinson his first wicket of the innings.
While Green fell going on the attack, Carey departed with a whimper. Simply refusing to take on the short ball, he got in a tangle and gloved a ball off Robinson to Root at short leg.
Stokes bowled a mammoth 12-over spell and was finally rewarded when Josh Hazlewood (1) fended a ball straight to the welcoming hands of Root at short leg.
Nathan Lyon was on crutches at the start of the day, but he hobbled out to join Mitchell Starc (15no) for the final wicket.
It was chaos bordering on farcical at times, as Lyon (4) was unable to move, but his bravery helped Australia add 15 runs before he was caught by Stokes off Broad as the tourists were bowled out for 279.
Australia departed leaving England a victory target of 371 - which would be their second-highest chase of all time.
England’s hopes of a positive start were dashed when Crawley (3) feathered one down the leg side off Starc, and Carey took an excellent diving catch.
Starc was finding prodigious swing at high pace. The movement and speed proved too good for Ollie Pope (3) who was undone by a brilliant inswinger as the Australian quick knocked his middle stump out of the ground.
Joe Root (18) is the glue to England’s batting, and the celebrations from Australia told the story after Pat Cummins got the ball to rear up and take the edge of the world No. 1 Test batsman’s bat and into the grateful hands of David Warner at first slip.
The ball to remove Root was a brute, the one to get rid of Harry Brook three balls later was something special.
Touching 90mph, Cummins got the ball to tail in, only to leave Brook (4) up the hill and crash into the top of off stump.
Stokes and Duckett set about a rebuild, albeit the latter had a few lives. He was dropped by Green, required a video reprieve after being given out lbw and the same after being caught.
Starc took what appeared a brilliant catch at fine leg off Green, but third umpire Marais Erasmus deemed the Australian did not have control of both the ball and his body before completing the catch, as he ball did touch the ground.
Duckett and Stokes survived to stumps to take England to 114 for 4, meaning they require 257 more to pull off an unlikely win.
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