Ashes 2019: Australia v England, Second Test, Day 1 live coverage from Lord’s
Not a single ball was bowled in a frustrating first day of the second Test at the home of cricket.
Play was abandoned without a ball being bowled on day one of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s. Read how the day unfolded below.
Peter Lalor 2.00am: The view from Lord’s
Play was called off at 4.20pm (1.20am AEST) after a frustrating first day at Lord’s.
At least one question was resolved with Justin Langer confirming that Josh Hazlewood had made the side ahead of Mitchell Starc.
Longer sessions have been scheduled for the remaining four days which will make up four of the six lost hours if there are no more interruptions.
Langer said after play that it would have been a difficult call whether to bat or bowl if they had won to the toss. Overhead conditions meant the ball would swing, but the grass would stop that soon enough.
England have not named a side.
Play resumes tomorrow a the usual time (11am BST, 8pm AEST) with extra time added on each day. It now becomes a four day Test as the toss did not take place which means the follow on becomes 150 runs.
Adrian McMurray 1.22am: Play abandoned
Well, there we have it. Play has been abandoned on day one without a ball being bowled. It looked as though we might’ve squeezed the toss in earlier, but persistent rain has put an end to that. Thankfully, conditions look far more promising for day two.
Adrian McMurray 1.19am: Stopping Smith
Our man Jon Kudelka knows what’s up. Here’s his cartoon in today’s edition of The Australian.
Adrian McMurray 1am: No play, but what about the spread?
It’s bucketing down in London, is there realistically going to be any play on day one?
Earlier, we got a taste (hah) of what the players were going to tuck into at lunch. Looks like the media are also being well looked after in the catering department.
No cricket at Lord’s so hurrah for cake and scones. pic.twitter.com/wMa5i8tt2F
— Ian McCullough (@IanMac08) August 14, 2019
Adrian McMurray 12.15am: Archer’s moment
While we’ve had to endure a couple of false starts on day one, there was time for Jofra Archer’s cap presentation. Chris Jordan did the honours. Nice stuff.
Before the rain returned once again, Chris Jordan presented Jofra Archer with his Test cap #Ashes pic.twitter.com/kIrTwkaDKx
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) August 14, 2019
Adrian McMurray 12.00am: Rain returns
Oh no! The full covers are back on at Lord’s. Just moments before the toss, the rain returned, and it’s looking seriously unlikely that we’ll see any play today. Frustrating for all involved. The toss has been delayed indefinitely.
Mood. pic.twitter.com/EUtze9Sdup
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) August 14, 2019
Adrian McMurray 11.55pm: Revised schedule for day one
OK, we’re in for a late one, folks. The current plan: they’re going to try and squeeze 48 overs in. Tea is scheduled for 2.10am AEST, the evening session is 2.30am-4.00am AEST, with 30 minutes of additional time on top of that to get through it all.
Fire up those coffee machines!
Adrian McMurray 11.40pm: Toss, start time confirmed
Finally — some good news! We’ll have the toss at midnight AEST, with play to begin at 12.30am if there’s no further rain.
11.19pm: A rare pitch sighting
Here's the deck! #Ashes pic.twitter.com/Yv0r44X94s
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) August 14, 2019
Adrian McMurray 11.13pm: Second pitch inspection soon
The ground staff — understandably — need more time. We’ll have another pitch inspection at 11.30pm AEST. We’ll have a better idea of what’s happening in less than 20 minutes.
Adrian McMurray 10.45pm: Rain stops, pitch inspection imminent
Hallelujah! The rain has stopped, the covers are coming off and there will be a pitch inspection in 15 minutes (11pm AEST).
There will be an inspection at 2pm (10 minutes). pic.twitter.com/hYsXqxbVJ8
— Peter Lalor (@plalor) August 14, 2019
Adrian McMurray 10.26pm: A glimmer of hope?
There appears to be a break in the rain coming in the next 30 minutes. It remains to be seen how long that break will be, and if there will be enough time for the ground staff to get the pitch ready.
They need about an hour … at which point, it’ll probably be raining again. Sorry to be pessimistic. Or am I just being a realist?
Adrian McMurray 9.40pm: Feeling hungry?
While the players will be getting pretty agitated in their respective dressing rooms, they’re still getting treated to an unbelievable lunch.
While there has been no play, the players will be treated to another delicious lunch today ðŸ˜
— Lord's Cricket Ground (@HomeOfCricket) August 14, 2019
Good luck picking a starter, main and dessert from this list!#LoveLords | #Ashes pic.twitter.com/zAAxtC05mm
It all starts with a red pepper, sweet potato and paprika soup. Then there’s a choice of roasted lamb rack, chicken/rabbit/seafood paella, or mushroom and lentil bolognese. Don’t forget dessert: bread and butter pudding, dark chocolate torte, fruit salad and a selection of ice creams are all on offer.
Sure, they’d much rather be playing, but the players’ dining room doesn’t sound like the worst place to be.
It’s still wet at Lord’s, no start time in sight at this stage.
Adrian McMurray 8.54pm: Rain delay reading
While copyright laws mean we can’t screen Lethal Weapon 2 here until we get some play, we can offer you some brilliant yarns from some of the best minds in the biz.
Mike Atherton makes the case for Jofra Archer, and why he’s the man to cause Steve Smith some issues.
Peter Lalor explains how Nathan Lyon is quietly establishing himself as one of the greatest exponents of off-spin in Test history, and why Smith is set to defy England’s Lord’s prayer.
And as we highlighted earlier, Gideon Haigh writes Australia shouldn’t just look to their first Test victory for confidence at the historic ground.
If that isn’t enough, there’s more waiting for you here.
Still want more? We’ve got crosswords, sudoku, and a quiz to get you through to the toss. Get amongst that here.
Those covers are still on, by the way.
Peter Lalor 8.22pm: The view from Lord’s
Rain at Lord’s has kept fans in suspense about possible changes for the second Test.
Storms hit London before play and have signalled their intent to stay for some time yet.
It’s a blow for fans, particularly the swarms of Australians who have travelled especially for this Test.
The delayed start means neither captain has to name their side or show their hand and there is some speculation neither will be asked to swap team sheets sheet until tomorrow.
Word from the Australian camp is that they are yet to decide whether to go with Mitchell Starc or Josh Hazlewood to replace James Pattinson, but some claim they had opted for the latter more than a day out from the Test.
Will the weather change their minds?
If Starc doesn’t play at Lord’s you wonder where he will. If the match is shortened he might be your best chance to blast England out twice, but Hazlewood brings the control the conservative brains trust crave.
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has ruffled feathers, as is his wont, suggesting the team replace top order batsman Joe Denly with all-rounder Sam Curran. Another former captain, Nasser Hussain says it would be madness.
England have brought in exciting young quick Jofra Archer to replace James Anderson. Familiar to Australians with an interest in the BBL, the Barbados born bowler only qualified to play here in the months before the World Cup.
Jack Leech has come in to replace Moeen Ali who, it is sad to note, had lost form and confidence with bat and ball. Skipper Joe Root says he believes the 32-year-old veteran of 60 Test matches will be back, but it seems unlikely in the near future.
Adrian McMurray 7.54pm: How good are delays?
Well, that was a bit of a tease — the covers are back on. Oh dear … A quick check of the radar doesn’t offer much hope either. Looks like the rain will be pretty steady over St John’s Wood all day.
Adrian McMurray 7.45pm: Hope for play today?
The weather has pushed the toss back, with a pitch inspection scheduled for 8pm AEST.
I don't want to get everybody's hopes up, but... pic.twitter.com/1DlsxNfMTq
— Samuel Ferris (@samuelfez) August 14, 2019
Adrian McMurray 7.20pm: Rain, rain, go away
It was almost too good to be true, wasn’t it? An entire Test in England without a rain delay … looks like we’re going to more than make up for it at Lord’s. Severe thunderstorms are forecast for most of today, with fears day one will be a washout.
Who does that favour? Australia have a 17-7 record at the ground, but England have won two of the past three against the Aussies at the venue.
The tourists would want to continue their cracking form from Edgbaston — and record at the ground — so it might just be a plus for Joe Root and co if this one ends in a draw.
4pm: England’s Lyon tamer revealed
England have turned to former South Africa off-spinner Simon Harmer in an effort to combat the threat of Nathan Lyon ahead of tonight’s second Ashes Test at Lord’s.
Lyon spun Australia to victory last week, claiming 6-49 in the second innings of the series opener at Edgbaston, as the tourists cruised to a 251-run win. Harmer, who played five Tests in 2015 and has taken 200 wickets for Essex in three years, bowled to the England batsmen in the nets as they looked at ways of dealing with the threat posed by Australia’s greatest ever off-spinner.
“I think it’s always good to get an opportunity to work with someone who’s had great success in county cricket in recent years,” England skipper Joe Root said. “You want to try and test yourself as much as you can in practice and he certainly helped.”
With Moeen Ali axed after struggling with bat and ball in Birmingham, England are set to select left-arm tweaker Jack Leach as they look to level the series. With heavy rain forecast for the opening day on Wednesday, the hosts could also name all-rounder Sam Curran if conditions stay overcast, with Joe Denly’s place in the side in jeopardy.
Denly scored 18 and 11 in Birmingham and Curran, who averages over 38 with the bat and 30 with the ball, could come in to the team with Ben Stokes most likely to be promoted to No.4 in the batting order.
“Sam is a brilliant talent and can change the game with bat and ball,” Root said.
“His record is fantastic and has had a huge impact in most of the games he has played.” Leach, who scored 92 as a nightwatchman in England’s recent win over Ireland, only bowled three overs in that match but did take 5-109 for the England Lions against an Australian XI four weeks ago.
The 28-year-old has been backed by former England spinner Graeme Swann to do well at Lord’s.
“Jack Leach should have been playing or at least involved in the England team years ago,” Swann said.
“There was a time when he wasn’t picked … because there was a rumour that he only took wickets when it turned, which still absolutely amazes me. I think he’s got to do his holding role well, that’s the most important thing. Do your holding role in the first innings and then in the second innings, the wicket should deteriorate, it starts to spin and you can go out and win the game.”
AAP
3.30pm: Root promises patience
England captain Joe Root has put his hand up as being partly to blame for his team’s struggles to dismiss Steve Smith at Edgbaston, declaring he needs to be more patient at Lord’s.
The prized scalp of Smith, who celebrated his return to Test cricket from a year-long ban by posting twin tons in Birmingham, will be key if England are to level the Ashes series at 1-1.
Root, reflecting on the threat posed by Smith, suggested his team didn’t need to reinvent the wheel. Rather, the captain suggested he must show the same patience that Smith exhibits at the crease.
“One thing that I could have done slightly better, me personally as captain, was stick to a plan for a little bit longer,” Root said.
“Give it a chance to work a little bit more. It was 18 times early on in that first innings he played and missed. It could have been very different. In some ways that’s a sign that plans are working. We’ve just got to be a little bit more patient with it.”
Smith posted his maiden double-ton at the home of cricket in 2015, an innings that delivered Australia a series-levelling Test victory over England. The former skipper’s batting streak against England dating back to that game is remarkable — he is averaging 101 from 10 Ashes Tests.
“He’s got to start again this week … new challenge, new wicket, different atmosphere,” Root said.
“We’ve got to be really ruthless with it, stick to it.”
AAP
3pm: Aussies Lord it over England
Tim Paine’s men will go into tonight’s Second Ashes Test against England at Lord’s with an air of confidence that should not be attributed solely to their thumping First Test victory.
As Gideon Haigh reveals in today’s The Australian, touring Australian cricketing teams have always moved with a certain confidence at the home of cricket.
“England have won 48 and lost 17 Test matches at Lord’s. Against Australia, the ratio, at seven and 15, is nearly reversed,” Haigh writes.
“In the 20th century, England won the grand total of one Ashes Test at cricket’s most storeyed ground. In the 21st century, Australia have lost one of 11 one-day internationals.
“Their coach, Justin Langer, loves the place: he averaged nearly 60 in first-class cricket there. So does his assistant and amigo Steve Waugh: his average from four Lord’s Tests was 115.6.”
The best walk in cricket? â¦@HomeOfCricketâ© #Ashes pic.twitter.com/0Pcqwn1etj
— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) August 13, 2019
Read the full story here.
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