England ensured that they should have a rather big lead on the second day of the second test match against Australia at Lord’s by bowling to a plan after been assisted by the swing in the track. At stumps, Australia was struggling to keep afloat at 156/8 in reply to England’s 425 all out and still 72 runs adrift of the follow-on mark.
Earlier, resuming on their overnight score of 364/6, England lost three wickets in three overs, including that of overnight centurion, Andrew Strauss to be struggling at 378/9. It was here that England began their fightback, with James Anderson and Graham Onions batting together for a 47-run tenth wicket partnership that propped the English to a more respectable 425 all out.
In reply, the Aussies batted for less than one hour till lunch and lost two wickets; that of Phil Hughes and Ricky Ponting, to leave the visitors in tatters at 22/2. Anderson capped his fine batting performance with both these wickets
The post-lunch session was delayed by persistent showers, which even forced the two teams out of play on two occasions. But when they came back, the pair of Simon Katich and Michael Hussey guided the Australian team to what they thought would have been a position of relative safety. Both were nearing their fifties at the tea break and Australia went into it at 87/2.
It was after the tea break that the things began to go horribly wrong for the Aussies. There were only 20 overs possible to be bowled in the last session, but they were enough for the hosts to capture six Aussie wickets for the addition of 69 runs only!
Katich was the first to depart, when he tried to pull Onions but only managed to casually slam it straight to Stuart Broad at fine-leg; Katich gone for 48. Hussey followed soon after, as he left an Andrew Flintoff on the basis of the length, but was beaten and bowled and Australia at 111/4. Hussey scored a fifty, which incidentally turned out to be their only half century scorer.
Michael Clarke was peppered with some sharp in-swingers from Anderson and then a fielder was brought into the short mid-wicket position. Clarke drove one straight to him and the Aussies were left gasping, but worse followed when Marcus North was bowled off an inside edge to give Anderson his fourth wicket! North had scored a duck in a 28-run partnership with wicket-keeper, Brad Haddin.
Mitchell Johnson pulled one to the fence, but that was the only scoring shot he played before being caught by Alistair Cook off Stuart Broad, while Haddin repeated the pull stroke once too many to dole out Broad his second scalp. Australia had lost six wickets for 53 runs, and were in a grave danger of being bowled, before the light was offered to the batsmen and they went off.
Australia has a lot of hard work ahead with the trying to protect their legacy at Lord’s, a ground on which they have yet to lose a test match since 1934!