Tag: Second Ashes Test

Australia won a rancorous second Ashes Test at Lord’s on Sunday by 43 runs despite a stunning century from England captain Ben Stokes that went into overdrive following the controversial dismissal of Jonny Bairstow.

Ben Stokes made a remarkable 155 before he was dismissed with England 70 runs shy of a steep target of 371.

England were eventually dismissed for 327 as holders Australia, bidding for a first away Ashes series win in 22 years, went 2-0 up in the five-match campaign.

But it was the dismissal of Jonny Bairstow shortly before lunch on the last day that riled the England team and the crowd alike.

Bairstow, the last of England’s specialist batsmen, fell in bizarre fashion for 10 when he wandered out of his ground after ducking a Cameron Green bouncer and quick-thinking wicketkeeper Alex Carey under-armed the ball onto the stumps.

Bairstow thought he had secured his ground by tapping his bat behind the crease.

Australia captain Pat Cummins could have withdrawn the appeal, but third umpire Marais Erasmus ruled Bairstow had been stumped, with England now 193-6.

A usually sedate Lord’s crowd reacted in fury with a chant of “Same old Aussies, always cheating” in a reference to Australia’s 2018 ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.

Incoming batsman Stuart Broad told Carey “you’ll be forever remembered for that”.

But a spokesman for Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) the owners of Lord’s and the guardians of cricket’ Laws, told AFP that Bairstow had been given out correctly.

An Australia team spokesman later alleged players had been “verbally abused” and “physically contacted” by irate MCC members in the Lord’s Pavilion during the lunch break.

Stokes, then on 62, hit out and on 77 he slammed a fierce pull back at Cummins which the fast bowler dropped.

Stokes then hooked Green for three sixes off successive deliveries — the second dropped over the boundary by Mitchell Starc — to complete a stunning 142-ball hundred.

Stokes accepted Bairstow had been out but he also told the BBC: “Would I want to win a game in that manner? The answer for me is no.”

Stokes hit nine fours and nine sixes in all but said his aggression had not been motivated by anger at Bairstow’s exit but by his “best option” being to take the fielders out of play.

Cummins insisted there was “nothing untoward or sneaky,” about Bairstow’s dismissal.

“Jonny was leaving his crease every ball,” he said. “He did it four or five balls. You’re meant to stay in your crease in cricket. Bairstow has tried it with a lot of our guys.”

At lunch, England were 243-6, with Stokes a remarkable 128 not out.

Stokes continued his spectacular assault two balls after the interval by lofting Josh Hazlewood for a brilliant straight six.

Two balls later, however, he was dropped at deep backward square when Smith grassed a routine chance before he was again missed on 114 by a diving Carey

Ben Stokes struck two more sixes off Hazlewood, the second a remarkable one-handed hit.

Australia were without Nathan Lyon after the off-spinner, who had limped out to bat at No 11 on Saturday, was off the field with the severe calf tear he had suffered while fielding Thursday.

Stokes, however, was unable to repeat his heroics of 2019 when his astounding unbeaten century secured a thrilling one-wicket win in an Ashes Test at Headingley, with England reaching a total of 359 — still their highest fourth-innings winning chase against Australia.

He fell when he skyed Hazlewood to Carey to end a 214-ball innings.

Ben Stokes walked off to a standing ovation but at 301-7 the game was all but up for England.

Ollie Robinson and Broad, who made 11 in a stand of 108 with Stokes, fell in quick succession before Starc ended the match by bowling Josh Tongue

England now have a mountain to climb heading into Thursday’s third Test at Headingley.

Only once have a team come from 2-0 down to win a Test series, when an Australia side inspired by batting great Don Bradman, recovered to take the 1936/37 Ashes 3-2.

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Ben Duckett insisted England had no regrets about their aggressive game-plan after the opener was one of several batters to fall into Australia’s short-ball trap on a dramatic day of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s.

In reply to Australia’s first-innings total of 416, England had seized back the momentum as they raced to 188-1 during Thursday’s second day of the second Ashes Test.

But Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Joe Root all perished playing needlessly attacking hook shots in response to a barrage of Australia bouncers.

That reduced England to 222-4 before captain Ben Stokes restored order with a slightly more cautious approach alongside Harry Brook as the hosts reached 278-4 by the close of play.

Despite handing Australia a lifeline, Ben Duckett was adamant there would be no recriminations in the England dressing room.

“I don’t regret it at all. I would have been gutted with myself if I had gone into my shell and gloved one to the keeper,” Duckett said after he was caught in the deep for 98 by David Warner.

“Ten metres either side of him I would have got a hundred. I’m not happy I got out but I’d rather get out like that.

“There wasn’t really any discussion. No one in that dressing room will be disappointed with how Pope got out. They will be gutted it didn’t go for six.

“Pope said ‘I’m going to smack it into the stands’ and I said ‘do it’. He was so unlucky to get a toe end on it.

“It’s the way we play our cricket. If we went into our shells and got bombed out it would be totally against the way we play.”

Duckett’s refusal to change his go-for-broke style cost him dearly as he was caught on the boundary two runs short of his hundred.

However, he defiantly claimed England’s ‘Bazball’ philosophy could eventually leave Australia, already 1-0 up in the five-match Ashes series, fatigued.

“We fought back so well. The way we batted was amazing. We were going at five or six an over even though we lost a couple of wickets,” Duckett said.

“We are in a good position. If they keep bowling bumpers with all four bowlers they are going to be quite tired, especially with back-to-back Tests.”

Earlier, Australia batsman Steve Smith scored 110 with a far more traditional approach.

Smith said Australia’s decision to switch to a short-ball policy was influenced by England’s aggressive inclinations and the change in weather conditions on Thursday.

After overcast skies that blanketed Lord’s for much of Wednesday, 24 hours later there was sunshine and easier batting conditions as a result.

“The pitch looked flat. But we had some nice tactics with some short stuff. It felt like we were in the game there,” Smith said.

“We were setting the fields and they were taking it on. We were creating chances. The way England are playing this really aggressive brand, it was creating opportunities.”

Asked if he agreed with England’s approach, Smith smiled as he said: “It was interesting. If you get under a few you might stop doing it. They stopped a bit when Ben Stokes came in and ducked a few.

“He was the only one looking to ride them, the rest were looking to take it on.

“If you are going to hit it for six, you are going to have to get a good piece of it and we had fielders there to catch it.”

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LONDON: England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow wrestled a protester to the ground as climate activists briefly interrupted play on the first day of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s on Wednesday.

Just before Stuart Broad bowled the second over, two protesters from Just Stop Oil ran out of the Grandstand and onto the outfield, sprinkling the group’s trademark orange powder on the square but not on the pitch.

Bairstow grabbed one of the demonstrators and carried them off the playing surface, with the other apprehended by stewards.

A third demonstrator was tackled before making it onto the outfield at Lord’s, the spiritual ‘Home of Cricket’ in north-west London.

Spectators booed the protesters as they were led away by stewards.

Following a delay of several minutes while the orange powder was removed by ground staff, play resumed with Broad bowling from the Nursery End.

This match was the latest British sports event to be disrupted by climate activists Just Stop Oil following similar protests at the Premiership rugby final at Twickenham and the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield.

Joe Perry’s first-round match, against Robert Milkins in the World Snooker Championship, had to be stopped when a man jumped onto the table and emptied a bag of orange powder across the green baize.

Stunned fans watched on as half of the table and many of the balls were covered in the cloud of powder, with the man kneeling on the baize for several seconds before a security guard dragged him away.

The man was wearing a white t-shirt emblazoned with the slogan ‘Just Stop Oil’ on the back.

On the other table at the Sheffield arena, the match between Mark Allen and Fan Zhengyi was interrupted when a woman, also wearing a ‘Just Stop Oil’ t-shirt, tried to get on the baize at the same time as the male protestor.

She was dragged off by referee Olivier Marteel before any powder was thrown.

“Two people were detained after protesters gained entry to The Crucible earlier this evening,” a South Yorkshire Police statement said.

“A 30-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage. Both are in police custody.”

Just Stop Oil also delayed the England team bus taking the side to Lord’s for the lone Test against Ireland earlier this month.

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ADELAIDE: Australian batters, Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith, played astonishing innings to power their side to 473/9 dec on the second day of second Ashes Test.

Labuschagne, earlier in the day, converted his overnight 95* into his fifth Test career century. However, the batter, could not get going for long; having dismissed for 103, he faced a mammoth 305 balls, smashing eight boundaries.

Smith, then, showed his class, stood firm, while his side lost two more wickets in quick succession. He was then joined by Alex Carey, the duo, then, anchored the innings for the Kangaroos. Smith scored 93; missing his 28th century by just seven runs. The batter smashed 12 boundaries and a six.

Carey, on the other hand, was also impressive, scoring a half century, he scored 51 off 107 balls with five boundaries to his name.

Australia’s batting-tail, too, did not disappoint; with Mitchell Starc, scoring run-a-ball 39*, whereas, Michael Neser scored quickfire 35 off 24 balls, laced with five boundaries and a six.

For England, Ben Stokes starred; taking three wickets, while James Anderson bagged two wickets. Chris Woakes, Joe Root, Ollie Robbinson, and Stuart Board, on the other hand, bagged one wicket apiece.

In response to Australia’s 473, English openers struggled to provide a solid start to the side. English side lost both their openers for just 12. Haseeb Hameed scored six, while Rory Burns could only score four.

Root and Dawid Malan, will now resume the proceedings for England at 17/2 on the third day of the ongoing Test.

For Kangaroos, Starc and Neser each took a wicket.

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ADELAIDE: Australian batters, David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne, batted brilliantly and partnered strongly to help Australia to score 221/2 on the first day of second Ashes Test.

Both, Warner and Labuschagne, scored 95 each; Warner, however, dismissed after playing a loose shot straight to cover; handing an easy catch to Stuart Broad. This is the second instance when Warner missed his century in the ongoing Ashes.

Labuschagne, on the other hand, is not-out for his 95; having lucky as Jos Buttler dropped him twice on 21 and 95. The batter faced a mammoth 275 balls; for his current individual score. He smashed seven boundaries in his inning so far.

Earlier, Australia were off to a poor start; losing their opening batter, Marcus Harris at a combined score of four; Buttler took a blinder off Broad’s superb delivery to dismiss the batter on his individual score of three.

Harris’s early dismissal did not halt the Kangaroos much as their star-pair, Warner and Labuschagne recorded an astonishing 172-runs partnership before Warner’s dismissal.

The standing captain, Steven Smith, then, also showed responsibility; ensuring not to giveaway any wickets, and stood firm for his 18 not-out off 71 balls.

Labuschagne (95*) and Smith (18*) will resume the proceedings for Australia at 221/2 on the second day of the ongoing Test.

For England, Broad and Ben Stokes took a wicket each.