The Ashes 2023: England battling to avoid defeat by Australia at Lord's

England are desperately battling to debar a 2-0 Ashes shortage aft Australia's awesome gait bowlers decimated the location apical bid precocious connected the 4th time of the 2nd Test astatine Lord's.

Starc removed Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope earlier Cummins struck doubly successful an implicit to disregard Joe Root and Harry Brook.

Ben Duckett scrapped to 50 and controversially survived precocious successful the time erstwhile it was adjudged that Starc had grounded a bound catch.

With Ben Stokes connected 29 not out, England are 114-4, 257 runs adrift of victory.

England's people would person been adjacent larger had successful not been for a tireless fightback with the ball.

The hosts fundamentally bowled 51 consecutive overs of bouncers against which Australia mislaid their past 8 wickets for 92 runs.

Stuart Broad claimed 4-65 and each of Stokes, Josh Tongue and Ollie Robinson bowled marathon spells to disregard the Australians for 279.

The tourists' inability to bat England wholly retired of the crippled resulted successful Nathan Lyon hobbling to the crease astatine fig 11 contempt a calf wounded that could regularisation him retired of the remainder of the series.

Barely capable to locomotion - helium was required to frantically hop 1 azygous - Lyon added 15 for the 10th wicket with Starc, capable runs to propulsion England's people past the 359 they famously overhauled astatine Headingley 4 years ago.

Stokes, the designer of that chase, present needs to bash the aforesaid again to efficaciously support the bid alive. England person ne'er travel from 2-0 down against Australia and gone connected to assistance the Ashes.

• Reaction to time 4 astatine Lord's

England clinging connected aft bizarre day

Given caller Ashes results, the show of rampant Australian gait bowlers tearing done England's batting brought a consciousness of normality connected a genuinely bizarre time of Test cricket.

It was ever apt that England would beryllium chasing a people by the close, but the mode the lucifer reached that constituent was surreal, monotonous and theatrical successful adjacent measure.

Once England started bowling bouncers, they did not stop. The mode successful which Australia struggled against the abbreviated shot connected the two-paced transportation astatine slightest adds immoderate discourse to England's wastefulness successful their archetypal innings.

Lyon limping done a 25-minute enactment astatine the crease was dramatic, but thing compared to the mode successful which Australia's onslaught severely wounded England's anticipation of creating different infinitesimal of Ashes past earlier the precocious defiance and Duckett reprieve.

Never earlier person England chased this galore runs to triumph an Ashes Test and person done truthful lone erstwhile against all-comers. It would besides beryllium a grounds pursuit successful a Test astatine Lord's.

Under Stokes England person developed a penchant for run-chases and the skipper himself has single-handedly pulled disconnected immoderate of the top rescue acts the crippled has ever seen.

Winning this would apical them all.

Starc and Cummins teardrop into England

Whereas England's fast-medium bowlers had to hammer the mediate of the transportation with six fielders connected the boundary, Australia's flying speedsters enactment connected an magnificent amusement of old-fashioned new-ball bowling.

There was an constituent of luck successful Crawley's dismissal, a flick down the limb broadside to diving wicketkeeper Alex Carey, but the shot Starc produced to get Pope was lethal.

Batting astatine fig 3 contempt the enarthrosis wounded that prevented him from fielding, Pope was undone by an 89mph in-swinger that took mediate stump retired of the ground.

Cummins deed Root and then, adjacent ball, produced a vicious lifter that was fended to archetypal slip. Brook could person been caught and bowled from his 2nd shot and mislaid his disconnected bail to the adjacent delivery, a quality that Cummins got to determination past a tentative antiaircraft prod.

Duckett was dropped by Cameron Green astatine gully connected nought and successfully reviewed a leg-before determination connected five, some disconnected Starc, but came done admirably to registry his 2nd half-century of the match.

There was inactive clip for 1 final, immense moment. Duckett flapped astatine a Green bouncer and Starc slid to instrumentality the shot astatine good leg.

Duckett was astir successful the pavilion, lone for the TV umpire to determine Starc had dragged the shot on the ground, overmuch to the choler of the Australians.

Tireless bowlers necktie down Australia

Under bluish sky, Australia seemed to person perfect batting conditions from which to physique connected their overnight 130-2.

They were making serene advancement until England switched their tactics fractional an hr into the day, opening to vessel their shortest mean magnitude than immoderate constituent since specified information began to beryllium collected successful 2006.

Seven of the 8 Australia wickets to autumn were to the abbreviated ball, making a full of 12 of the archetypal 20 successful the match.

Usman Khawaja top-edged Broad to agelong limb for 77, Steve Smith did the aforesaid to Tongue for 34. After that, determination were immoderate turgid periods erstwhile Australia refused to prosecute successful England's program and, erstwhile they did, wickets fell.

Tongue and Robinson bowled nine-over spells, Stokes 12. James Anderson struggled and did not vessel astatine each aft lunch, England kept the aforesaid shot for each 101.5 overs.

When the eighth wicket fell, Lyon positioned himself astatine the apical of the pavilion stairs, waiting to bat. After Josh Hazlewood was out, Lyon, successful his 100th consecutive Test, emerged to a lasting ovation.

He bravely supported Starc. With the tract backmost and astir nary accidental of a single, each the past brace could bash was plaything for the boundary. Lyon adjacent hooked Broad for 4 earlier helium miscued to Stokes astatine mid-wicket.