Ashes 2023: Play of the day from ENG vs AUS second Test, Day 2

After Australia posted a massive total on board in the first innings of the second Ashes Test at the iconic Lord’s, England needed a steady start and that’s exactly what openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett provided. Their partnership of 91 runs gave the home team a massive advantage on Day 2 as England needed a strong response up front after the Pat Cummins-led side batted brilliantly in the first innings of the match.

On the other hand, Nathan Lyon’s brilliant delivery to dismiss Crawley was arguably the biggest moment of the day. The veteran spinner absolutely bamboozled the youngster as stumper Alex Carey had no problem whatsoever collecting the ball and sending Crawley back to the pavilion. Notably, the 25-year-old started slow but eventually gained momentum as he hit 48 runs off 48 deliveries to give England a good start in the first hour of their innings.

Smith’s century helps Australia surpass 400

Former skipper Steve Smith’s phenomenal century helped Australia post 416 runs in the first innings of the Test. Southpaw David Warner set the tone as the veteran hit 66 runs while Marnus Labuschagne scored 47 runs. Thus, the stage was perfect for Smith while English bowlers looked relatively weak throughout the course of Day 1. Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen pointed out the same as the Ben Stokes-led side made a strong return on Day 2.

Notably, Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue picked up three wickets each while Joe Root picked up two important wickets of Travis Head and Cameron Green. Meanwhile, when it comes to Australia, their pacers have struggled a lot with the ball on Day 2. After Lyon picked up Crawley, it was expected for the visiting team to make a comeback but English batters played some brilliant cricket and put a lot of pressure on the Aussies.

Both Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope look well settled on the crease at Tea on Day 2 and if they manage to build a good partnership, Australia will be in a lot of trouble.