Australia rocked by ‘awful scenes’ at Lord’s as Ashes series flips on its head

A horror period of play on day two not only left Australia in trouble in the Second Test - but fearful for the rest of the Ashes series.

The Ashes suddenly hang in the balance after a potentially series-ending injury to Nathan Lyon left Australia in all sorts of trouble at Lord’s.

Lyon appeared to tear a calf muscle while running in from the boundary to attempt to take a catch and limped off the field and into the arms of a physio.

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The loss of the country’s greatest ever offspinner would be devastating for Australia’s hopes - both in this match and for the rest of the English summer.

“Awful scenes,” former England captain Andrew Strauss said in commentary, as Lyon limped away.

“He is walking almost on the side of his foot there, so that looks like a big calf injury to me. That is really hard to watch.”

An update from Cricket Australia provided little clarity. “Nathan Lyon suffered an injury to his right calf injury while fielding in the final session today,” a statement read. “He will be further assessed after play.”

But Steve Smith - who scored his 32nd Test century earlier in the day - appeared to spill the beans in an interview with the BBC.

“We’re going to miss him for this game and could miss him for quite a while,” Smith said. “It didn’t look good.”

Australia's Nathan Lyon is helped off the field after picking up an injury. (Photo by Ian Kington / AFP)

After losing their last seven wickets for 100 runs and being bowled out for 416, Australia was perhaps fortunate to reduce England to 4/278 at stumps.

But taking another 16 wickets in the match seems like a mountainous task without Lyon, given the relative impotence of pace trio Mitchell Starc (1/75 from 12 overs), Josh Hazlewood (1/63 from 11 overs) and Pat Cummins (0/39 from 12 overs).

England was absolutely cruising at 1/188 as Ben Duckett (98 from 134 balls) and Ollie Pope (42 from 63 balls) continued the early hammering dealt out by Zak Crawley (48 from 48).

But with Lyon already off the field Cummins pivoted his tactics and unleashed a bouncer barrage the Bazball bandits found irresistible.

Duckett, Pope and Joe Root (10) were all out hooking and Harry Brook (45 not out from 51 balls) was lucky not to join them when he was dropped by Marnus Labuschagne.

It was left to Ben Stokes (17 not out from 57 balls) to settle down proceedings as Australia was forced to turn to Travis Head’s part-time offspin.

3.20am - Stokes calms down the chaos

Perhaps Bazball does have its limits.

After England was criticised for throwing three wickets away when it had Australia on the ropes, Ben Stokes has played a contrastingly sensible innings.

The England skipper scored just 13 runs from his first 44 deliveries, even allowing fill-in spinner Travis Head to go for just five runs from three overs.

But the runs have kept ticking over as Harry Brook continued the reckless approach of the top order. Brook reached 40 at a run-a-ball and was lucky not to be out twice after he stepped away and completely missed a Cameron Green delivery that just missed the stumps, before being dropped at square leg by Marnus Labuschagne after creaming a Pat Cummins short ball.

2.30am - Root goes as Aussies fight back

England is playing into Australia’s hands as it continues to find a short-pitched bowling strategy irresistible.

Joe Root joined Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett in falling for catches off miscued pull shots when he sent a second catch to Steve Smith.

Root departed for 10 to leave England 4/222 and handed Mitchell Starc is first wicket of the innings after his first 11 overs had gone for 70 runs.

There were some silly attempts from England fans to claim the ball had hit the ground before Smith controlled it but he clearly got at least one finger underneath the Duke and held it securely.

cricinfo pls

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) June 29, 2023

Their focus should have been on their batsmens’ unwillingness to read the game and put value on their wickets.

“Can they keep going with this?” Ricky Ponting questioned in commentary.

“It’s been a great tactical change by the Australians.”

2am - Australia rocked by ‘awful scenes’ at Lord’s

A tough day for Australia became seriously concerning after a pair of injuries in the final session.

As Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope continued to plunder runs for England, Pat Cummins left the field with a black eye and then Nathan Lyon departed with a right calf injury.

The offspinner appeared to strain or tear his calf while running in from the boundary to attempt to reach a skied Duckett pull shot.

Cummins was back on the field within a few overs after being hit while diving at the ball in the field, but Lyon was taken to the dressing room with what looked like a serious injury.

Just when Australia was looking down and out Cameron Green coaxed Pope (42) into a pull shot that was well caught on the boundary by Steve Smith.

Green appeared to have two in the over when Joe Root gloved one to Alex Carey, but in a potentially match-turning moment the umpire revealed Green had overstepped.

The young all-rounder’s fifth no ball of the innings handed the world’s top-ranked batsman a second life.

But Australia reduced England to 3/208 when Duckett was caught hooking off the bowling of Josh Hazlewood for 98.

12.50am - Starc hammered for ‘utter rubbish’

There were fears Mitchell Starc would be a bad fit for Bazball and it played out that way in the Aussie quick’s first two spells.

Starc coughed up 29 runs from his first five overs and it got worse in his second spell as his two overs before the tea break went for 26 runs.

A return of 0/55 from seven overs saw the left-armer - who was preferred to Scott Boland for this match after missing the First Test - slammed on social media.

“Utter Rubbish from Starc,” one observer wrote.

“Australia sold tv to buy remote by replacing Boland with Starc,” wrote another.

“Why is it that Starc rhymes with going round the park?” added the Iceland Cricket account.

Indian cricket fans were also delighting in Starc’s rough start after he opted not to play in the IPL to focus on Test cricket.

“Mitchell Starc won’t miss bowling in IPL if he keeps bowling like this in Tests,” summed up the majority of comments.

To be fair to the Aussie the conditions were excellent for batting and Josh Hazlewood (0/37 from five overs) was almost as expensive as England reached tea at 1/145.

11.50pm - Lyon breaks through after England sprints out of the blocks

Risky batting by Zak Crawley, good bowling by Nathan Lyon and great keeping by Alex Carey produced the first breakthrough for Australia after England did serious early damage.

Crawley had scored a run-a-ball 48 before he was undone by a Lyon ball that spun past his pads and Carey cleaned up an impressive leg side stumping.

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan was unimpressed with Crawley’s decision to risk coming down the wicket.

“Zak Crawley has just done what Zak Crawley does,” Vaughan said in commentary for the BBC.

“He plays beautifully, you think ‘come on, it’s your day’, he gets to 48 and then he just gifts an easy wicket.

“That’s the problem with this England side - they don’t realise when they’re on top. They just carry on with this method. There’s no need for that dismissal.

“If you get a beauty on a pitch like this ... then you say ‘well bowled’. But there’s not going to be many beauties bowled on this surface at the minute. Just play sensibly!”

It left England 1/93 in the 18th over. Crawley and Ben Duckett really put the pressure on Mitchell Starc (0/29 from five overs) and Josh Hazlewood (0/31 from four overs) during their first spells.

Duckett’s intent was highlighted by a stat that revealed of the first 100 balls he faced in the series, he didn’t leave a single one.

11.20pm - Footage emerges of Aussie star’s filthy act

In the latest example of “Marnus being Marnus”, footage has emerged of Aussie batsman Marnus Labuschagne dropping his chewing gum on the Lord’s pitch - and then picking it up and putting it back in his mouth.

Vision of the moment, which occurred during his innings on day one, was published on social media today and certainly raised some eyebrows.

Marnus dropping his gum on the pitch and then putting it back in his mouth????pic.twitter.com/tGdYqM3w72

— 🌈Stu 🇦🇺 (@stuwhy) June 29, 2023

9.32pm — Australia all out for 416

Australia’s top order did the damage in the first innings after being sent in to bat, despite losing its last five wickets for just 77 runs on day two.

The wickets fell regularly for the Aussies and despite Steve Smith bringing up his 32nd Test century, England were strong after getting hammered for their day one performance.

Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue finished with three wickets each, while Joe Root added 2/19.

9.22pm — No Garry!

Nathan Lyon is out for seven and Australia has one wicket left.

Australia has passed the magic 400 mark.

The last time a team lost an Ashes Test after scoring 400 batting first was back in 1930, according to Mark Taylor.

9pm — Steve Smith matches 86-year Bradman first

Steve Smith has hit his 12th Ashes century to become the third man in history and first since Donald Bradman in 1937 to reach the mark.

Smith is now equal second on the list of most Ashes centuries with England legend Jack Hobbs on 12.

Bradman is way out ahead on 19.

Bradman hit his 12th Ashes ton at the MCG in 1937 with a 191-ball 169.

Hobbs scored his in 1929, also at the MCG.

Smith’s tally has come in 34 Tests and 59 innings, much faster than Hobbs’ 71 innings in 41 Tests.

Atta boy Smudge! Photo by Ian Kington / AFP

Smith also became the fastest man in Test cricket history to make 32 Test centuries in 174 innings, two ahead of Ricky Ponting, who previously held the record.

The former Aussie skipper is now the only man ahead of Smith in terms of most hundreds for Australia — Ponting has 41.

Ponting said the way Smith batted was as impressive as the amount of runs he’s scored, calling it a “sensational knock”.

“It is not that he’s dominated one team or one country, he has been able to do it all around the world,” Ponting said.

“Right now he’s averaging just a hint over his career average here in England — 60. That’s saying something in these conditions.”

Bradman, like in most stats, is in a league of his own, having hit his 19 centuries and 12 fifties in just 37 matches and 63 innings, where he scored 5028 runs at 89.79.

Smith started the day a fair way back at 3151 runs at an average of 59.45 in Ashes Tests — the fifth highest in Ashes history behind Hobbs (3636), Allan Border (3222) and Steve Waugh (3173).

He moved past Waugh but fell short of Border, caught at gully for 110 off Josh Tongue.

It leaves Australia 8/393, having lost 3/55 on the morning.

8.29pm — Starc out as Pietersen changes tune

Kevin Pietersen has changed his tune after England has taken 2/19 to start day two with a wild swoosh from Mitchell Starc catching the edge for Jonny Bairstow to take a good diving catch.

“Good from England this morning,” Pietersen said in commentary.

“Danger signs for Australia but the ball is moving around a little bit more. The second new ball wreaking havoc.”

It comes after Pietersen slammed England last night and doubled down this morning.

Come on, @englandcricket !
Stand tall today and take it to the Australians. Stop being so nice and get some mongrel in you! Take those 5 wickets quick and bat well!
This is The Ashes and not an exhibition game! 👊🏽

— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) June 29, 2023

8.15pm — Carey on his way

Australia has lost its first wicket with Alex Carey out for 22 after being trapped LBW.

The original call from the umpire was not out but the Poms sent it upstairs with the replay showing the ball crashing into the top of the stumps.

Good review from England but Australia have moved to 6/351 despite the wicket.

7.35pm — Good news Australia!

Play will start on time at Lord’s after the weather cleared up following overnight rain.

It means that Steve Smith and Alex Carey will resume from 8pm AEST, should the rain stay away.

6.24pm — Promising signs for play

We may get some play despite overnight rain in London.

The Met Office’s current forecast for the rest of the day has an 80 per cent chance of rain between 10am and the 11am local starting time (8pm AEST), but the rest of the day appears like it will be overcast but the chance of rain is at less than 10 per cent.

The current scene close to Lord’s in London. There’s been a lot of rain overnight and early this morning but the weather is starting to improve. And the forecast is encouraging the longer the day goes. pic.twitter.com/b5PrLA7pqS

— Adam White (@White_Adam) June 29, 2023

The BBC also reports that the rain “should be gone by 10am but could hang on til 11am so possibility of delayed start”.

It means the players should only be delayed as long as it takes for the ground staff to clear the water off the field.

6pm — ‘Worst day of Bazball’: England torn to shreds

England had a mare on day one. Photo by Ian Kington / AFP

England has begun to turn on itself after the home papers torn the English side to shreds for it’s poor showing on day one of the Lord’s Test.

There was not much good to say about England on the opening day after failing to make inroads into the Aussie order despite a green wicket and overcast conditions.

The Telegraph’s Oliver Brown and Nick Hoult specifically lashed Ollie Robinson, who did not bowl with the “same ferocity as his mouth”.

“Here was his time to deliver a savage riposte … Sadly, he followed his florid outburst towards Usman Khawaja with a bowling display that could most kindly be described as monochrome.”

Robinson made himself a target after his post-wicket celebration after nabbing the wicket of centurion Khawaja in the first Test.

So when he bowled at 125km/h throughout the day for 1/86, he was well in the crosshairs.

Oliver Brown of The Telegraph said of Robinson: “This was among his most ineffectual performances, doing little to deflect his critics’ contention that he was a glorified medium-pace trundler.

“You hardly needed to be a cryptographer to work out the person to whom Kevin Pietersen was referring to when he lamented ‘bowlers running in at 78, 79mph – it’s absolutely shambolic’.”

Robinson did get Marnus Labuschagne for 47. Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images

Even makeshift England spinner Joe Root threw down a bouncer at nearly the same speed as Robinson had been bowling at.

It comes after Kevin Pietersen tore strips off England for its performance and lack of intent.

He blasted England’s bowlers for “swanning around” and allowing it to be “all too easy and all too nice”, noting the Aussie batters had to wait for the Poms and were raring to get into the battle.

“It’s been shambolic. Absolutely shambolic,” Pietersen said during the tea break.

“You have overhead conditions, you have a wicket that suits your bowlers and you’ve got bowlers running in at 78, 79, 80 mile an hour.”

Originally published as Australia rocked by ‘awful scenes’ at Lord’s as Ashes series flips on its head