Ashes 2023: England cuts Australia’s lead to 138 after two days of 2nd Test

What a difference a day makes. After England wasted dream bowling conditions on day one at Lord’s, it mined excellent batting conditions on day two to slash Australia’s first-innings lead of 416 to 138 in the second Ashes test on Thursday. England had 278 runs and gifted all four of its fallen wickets to Australia without regrets.

“We’ve played positive cricket for 12 months and we’re certainly not going to change,” Ben Duckett said after falling for 98. “If we get close or a lead, we’re certainly in this game.” Worse news for Australia was losing spinner Nathan Lyon to a suspected torn right calf while fielding. He’s not expected to return for the match, a cruel twist in his 100th consecutive test, and could be out of the Ashes series, a major blow to Australia’s chances of retaining the urn.

“Nathan, if he is no good, would be a huge loss,” teammate Steve Smith said. “However, we have Todd Murphy waiting in the wings, who has been bowling beautifully in nets and bowled really well in India (in February-March) when he got his opportunity.” Following the England bowlers’ worst first day at Lord’s in 15 years, they rebounded with a great second day.

“We were blessed with the conditions,” Duckett said. On another cloudy morning, the bowlers were accurate and the catches stuck. Steve Smith inevitably scored his 32nd century before Australia was all out before lunch for 416 after being 316-3. The cloud cover that helped the home bowlers broke up by lunch. The pitch flattened and favored batting. The runs were flowing for England until a mad hour in the last session when Australia, desperate for a second wicket, changed tactics by tempting England with the short ball.

England took the bait. Ollie Pope, Duckett and world No. 1 batter Joe Root recklessly went after short balls and gave catches behind square. Pope, on 42, spoiled a cruisy 97-run stand with Duckett when his pull at Cameron Green sailed straight to Steve Smith at deep backward square leg. In the same over, Root had 1 when he gloved a Green bouncer to wicketkeeper Alex Carey. But the wicket was canceled by Green’s no-ball, his fifth of six on the day. Root used his life on 1 to pass Allan Border into 10th on the all-time test run-scorers list.

Australia minimized the missed chance by getting Root out for 10, when his pull at Mitchell Starc was brilliantly caught by a diving Smith at backward square. Before Root was dismissed, Duckett agonizingly missed his second test century at Lord’s this month when he pulled at Josh Hazlewood and top-edged to David Warner at deep fine leg. Duckett’s comfortable 98 off 134 balls included nine boundaries.

“It’s never nice falling short,” Duckett said. “That shot got me plenty of runs in my career. If I’d gone away from my natural game, I’d be more frustrated. Certainly not disappointed with the shot.” After the action-packed hour from Lyon limping away to Root’s dismissal, Harry Brook and captain Ben Stokes calmly steered England to stumps. Brook got a life on 25 when he pulled Pat Cummins to square leg where Marnus Labuschagne dropped an overhead catch.

Brook was on 45 and Stokes on 17 at stumps in an unbroken stand of 56. The only wicket to fall among England’s first 188 runs was Zak Crawley’s in the middle session. Crawley was outsmarted by Lyon and stumped by Carey down the leg side for 48.

Crawley’s partnership of 91 with Duckett was the best by England openers against Australia since 2011. That was 32 Ashes tests ago.

Labuschagne’s drop made Cummins the only pacer to go wicketless but he was the most economical. Starc was picked ahead of Scott Boland in the only change by Australia after winning at Edgbaston last week, and Starc finished the day better than he started. His first seven overs conceded 55 runs, but the next five overs went for only 20 with the big wicket of Root. The day started with Smith on 85 and Australia five down. When they were seven down, he made his next four scoring shots boundaries to reach his 32nd test century from 169 balls.

It was his 12th hundred against England, and eighth in England. Of all the visitors to England, only Don Bradman has more centuries. Smith overtook Steve Waugh’s 3,173 runs for fourth on the Ashes list, behind only Bradman, Jack Hobbs and Allan Border. The century was also three weeks after his 121 against India at the Oval in the World Test Championship final. Smith was out for 110 after more than five hours, edging Josh Tongue to Duckett at gully. Tongue, in his Ashes debut, took three wickets along with Ollie Robinson.