The Ashes
overs! Step up Ben Stokes and Alastair
Cook - Cook had watched the wickets
tumble from his openers’ spot. The 2
men put on 145 runs before Stokes fell to
the bowling of Mitch Marsh on 87. Cook
played a solid innings and came very close
to his century - falling on 96, just after
Geoffrey Boycott had said - ‘he’ll get his
century’ - no he didn’t Geoffrey! Amongst
the remaining batsmen Moeen Ali added a
very useful 39, he is making an argument
for moving up the order. England finished
on 312 all out, a differential of 254.
My day at Lords started with Chris
Rogers and David Warner at the crease
as Australia looked to carry on building
an unassailable lead, rather than force the
follow on. In the second over of the day
I believe Chris Rogers suddenly looked
to be in difficulty and sat on the ground.
Rogers had been hit on the head in the1st
innings, and had suffered the same fate in
the West Indies. It has since been said this
wasn’t delayed concussion, but if there’s
any doubt on that he should be rested,
concussion can be a killer or life changing!
I do hope he’s well and we see him
opening at Edgbaston. He was closing in
on his half century when he ‘collapsed’
but was led from the pitch on 49.
Warner was joined by Steven Smith,
the pair were a delight to watch, it was
a pleasure to see shots from Smith that
you’d expect to see in a T20 game rather
than a test match at Lords! Warner was
more circumspect and scored a great 83
before he was caught by Cook from the
bowling of Ali, he’s becoming something
of an issue for the opener.
Michael Clarke joined Smith, he’s a
man in need of runs having been out for 7
in the 1st innings he was not out 32. Smith
fell to Ali - that part time bowler - having
scored 58 - a superb test for the man back
at the top in the World. Mitch Marsh
joined Clarke and scored 27, including
two huge 6’s into the members sitting at
the front of the pavilion, before his captain
declared, having doubled the Australian
lead they were 254 for 2 - England had
taken only 10 wickets over both innings!
And amazingly Jimmy Anderson didn’t
have a single wicket to his name.
And so in came the England openers,
I’m very concerned that I might just be
typing a huge row of here - so I’m going
to keep this brief like England’s innings.
I think I’ll just sum this up as quickly
as possible - England needed to play a
calm innings, they were highly unlikely
to make the total set, but there was an
outside chance to draw the game if
weather intervened. Well, they must have
had a day trip planned for Day 5! Did
they come remotely close to the 500 plus?
No they didn’t - they were all out for a
frankly shameful 103!
A mention for a wonderful throw
by Mitch Johnson striking the stumps at
some speed - he ran Stokes out, he seemed
to be in his crease - but was up in the air
when the ball struck as was his bat! A
schoolboy error to say the least!
A superb performance by the
Australians - to come back in such a
fashion after their loss in Cardiff has to be
admired.
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