Ashes 2023 second Test as it happened: Australia go 2-0 up after ...

3 Jul 2023

The Sydney Morning Herald

Ashes 2023 second Test as it happened Australia go 20 up after

The equation was simple, day five was anything but as crowd drama and an Ashes record nine sixes from Ben Stokes threatened to spark a miracle upset by England.

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Watch: How Carey caught Bairstow napping By Daniel Brettig

Jonny Bairstow was sensationally stumped by Alex Carey as he wandered out of his crease after ducking a bouncer by Cameron Green. It was the final ball of the over, but the umpire had not called the end of the over and Carey underarmed the ball towards the stumps as soon as he had taken it.

The umpires called for the third umpire Marais Erasmus to judge the run out as Bairstow remonstrated with Australia’s players. When the “out” decision was conveyed, Lord’s erupted in a chorus of booing.

Wicketkeepers often try to get the striking batter out this way, Bairstow included, but seldom does the ball hit the stumps with the batter out of their crease. The decision was something of an echo of Mitchell Starc’s overruled catch on the fourth evening - technically the correct decision, but in a grey area where plenty will disagree.

Over and out after another thriller

That’s all for now from the Maroubra bureau, but plenty more to come from the home of cricket.

Plenty being said by England players and fans, not least Stuart Broad who says he would have withdrawn the appeal against Jonny Bairstow if he was walking in Pat Cummins’ shoes. No comment on that for now.

Amid all the drama and argy-bargy, Ben Stokes has played one of the all-time Ashes innings. Nathan Lyon is gone for the series. Steve Smith is back in form with the bat. We’ve been treated to two days of short-pitched bowling that is tough on the eye and the batters. Oh and there were protestors. Remember that? It was only five days ago.

What a game. We go again - and it’s 2-0 to Australia - in just three days’ time in Leeds. Giddy up.

Brettig: Australia didn’t cheat. But they made Stokes angry

Australia did not cheat when Alex Carey stumped Jonny Bairstow after a Cameron Green bouncer on the unforgettable final day at Lord’s. But they did do something almost as pivotal to the outcome of this Ashes series: they made Ben Stokes angry.

That change in Stokes’ mood turned a likely huge margin of victory at Lord’s into an uncomfortably close-run thing for the Australians. It has lit the fire underneath this series even though the 2-0 margin is historically an almost insurmountable one.

The ugly scenes in the Lord’s Long Room at lunch, as MCC members abused the Australians and were alleged to have physically jostled with some, were a reminder of the deep feeling that exists in Ashes contests beneath the reserved exterior of the home of cricket. But it was Stokes’ reaction that matters more.

Only once in all Ashes series, when Don Bradman led Australia at home in 1936-37, has that deficit been reeled in and overtaken. But in Stokes England have a leader and player who, as shown here, will always think himself capable of the impossible.

From the moment a nonplussed Bairstow remonstrated with the Australians after an alert Carey had under-armed the stumps down, Stokes turned a fighting captain’s innings into a breathtaking reprise of his 2019 Headingley epic.

Read Dan Brettig’s full analysis here.

Conn: Australia survive Stokes heroics and Lord’s fury By Malcolm Conn

Australia survived another heroic Ben Stokes onslaught in front of a furious Lord’s crowd and abusive MCC members to claim a second successive Ashes Test victory and take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

Australia won by 43 runs despite a vigilant, and then belligerent, Stokes scoring a brilliant 155 in a match that erupted when Jonny Bairstow was stumped in bizarre circumstances walking out of his crease. Boos and crowd chants of “same old Aussies, always cheating” rang around the self-proclaimed “Home of Cricket”.

Australian players were booed and abused by MCC members as they left the field and walked through the Long Room at lunch, with Usman Khawaja and David Warner having separate confrontations and Marnus Labuschagne allegedly receiving an elbow in the side.

The Australians demanded an investigation by the MCC.

“Australian management has requested the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) investigate several incidents involving spectators in the members area during lunch on day five of the Lord’s Test,” a team spokesman said.

“It is alleged players and staff from the Australian team were verbally abused, with some being physically contacted, as they made their way to lunch through the members area.”

The MCC attempted to play down the ugly scenes in a statement of their own, which read in part: “After this morning’s play, emotions were running high, and words were unfortunately exchanged with some of the Australian team, by a small number of Members.

“We have unreservedly apologised to the Australian team and will deal with any member who has not maintained the standard we expect through our disciplinary processes. It was not necessary to eject anyone from the ground.”

Stokes revived memories of his famous, match-winning Ashes century at Headingley four years ago when he added 76 for the last wicket. This time the ask was just too great. Set 371 to win, England were bowled out for 327, with their long tail exposed.

As long as Stokes was there another miracle looked possible, but he eventually skied an attempted big hit off Josh Hazlewood and wicketkeeper Alex Carey ran to his left for a simple catch. Stokes stood bent over his bat in dismay for sometime before eventually leaving the ground to pats on the back from several Australians.

He had a partnership of 108 in 19.1 overs with Stuart Broad, who contributed 11.

Read the full report here.

‘Pretty big allegations’: Khawaja explains MCC crowd dramas

Usman Khawaja doesn’t miss on Channel Nine’s post-game when explaining his side of those incredible scenes.

He and David Warner were restrained from MCC members at lunch, prompting Australian management to request an investigation into allegations of abuse and man-handling of players.

Khawaja: “Lord’s is one of my favourite places to come. There’s so much respect shown, particularly in the members pavilion and in the Long Room, but there wasn’t today. It was very disappointing.

“If anyone asked me where the best place is to play, I always say Lord’s; the crowd is great, particularly the members are great. But some of the stuff that was coming out of the member’s mouths was really disappointing and I wasn’t just gonna stand by and cop it.

“So I just talked to a few of them, a few of them [were] throwing out some pretty big allegations and I just called them up on it and they kept going.

“And if they kept going and I was like, ‘well, it’s your membership here’, so I was just pointing them out. But it’s pretty disrespectful, to be honest. I just expect a lot better from the members.“

All out: Australia take a 2-0 lead

And that’s it. Mitchell Starc bowls Josh Tongue, he plays on and Australia claim an incredible 43-run win. England are all out for 327 and a phenomenal day’s play comes to an end.

Tongue out swinging as Starc finally targets the stumps. A 2-0 series lead, with the Ashes already in their keeping, has Australia in a nigh-unassailable position with three games left in the series. Ben Stokes gave them an almighty scare though, memories of Headingley loomed large.

Australia win by 43 runs.

England hanging on with close calls

The second new ball is able to be taken but Cameron Green continues with the old rock. Anderson and Tongue are hanging in there and making nuisances of themselves. Case in point, see below.

Starc almost has Anderson playing on, ball somehow misses the leg stump as he tried to avoid a bouncer. Hazlewood had some glove from Anderson an over earlier but his hand had come off the bat, so play on.

England: 9-323 (Tongue 17*, Anderson 2*), England need 48 runs to win

Anderson hit by Starc bouncer

Jimmy Anderson charging as he moves away to the leg side, heaving at a Mitchell Starc short ball as he does so. It gets through him and really rattles the grill, hits Anderson flush. That’s a fair blow, so we’re taking time out as he’s assessed by medical staff. Seems to be ok.

There’s a delay getting play resumed as we hunt for a Gray-Nicolls helmet for Anderson. The No.11 has to have his correct sponsor. There’s a story in that for another day actually.

England: 9-310 (Tongue 4*, Anderson 2*), England need 61 runs to win

Stats: The Stokes wagon wheel - 76% of runs on the legside

England are hanging on, Anderson and Tongue gamely backing away and swiping or fending awkwardly. Meanwhile, this from Ben Stokes, is just wild.

More than three quarters of his 155 runs were scored on the leg-side.

Wicket: Broad is on his way

Another falls without addition to the score. Stuart Broad has batted pretty well for two hours but is gone hooking as well. That was a rip-snorter from Josh Hazlewood.

Caught at fine leg by Cameron Green. Lord’s has gone silent, and just one wicket left. The short-pitched stuff won’t be going away anytime soon. Even with Stokes trouncing it every which way.

England: 9-302 (Broad 11*, Tongue 0), England need 69 runs to win

Wicket: Smith hangs onto a tough catch

Out. Ollie Robinson with an ungainly pull shot. It’s not an easy catch in the deep for Steve Smith but he hangs on. Australia closing in now.

Pat Cummins short ball climbed up on Robinson and it was an ugly old swipe. Smith running around from fine leg and does well, the catch he dropped from Stokes was much tougher.

Josh Tongue to the crease and Australia will get away with this now. Certainly felt like Headingley all over again until Stokes went though.

England: 8-302 (Broad 11*, Tongue 0*), England need 69 runs to win