Despite Ben Stokes’ incredible knock of 155, his team fell short as the Australian bowlers staged a comeback to claim victory in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s Cricket Ground. With this win, Australia is now ahead 2-0 in the five-match series. At the beginning of the second session, England needed 128 runs to win. Resuming on 250/6 after 58 overs, Ben Stokes was unbeaten on 114* while Stuart Broad was on 2*.
A big salute, Ben Stokes pic.twitter.com/9phVE52Wrs– Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) 2 July 2023
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Stokes scored 155 runs off 213 balls while playing a brilliant captaincy innings. His explosive batting style presented a significant challenge to the Australian bowlers. However, the Australians managed to fight their way back into the game, with Josh Hazlewood eventually dismissing Stokes. England’s wickets kept falling rapidly after Stokes’ dismissal. After 68.2 overs, Stokes reached 151* off 197 balls with nine fours and nine sixes. During this, he also shared a 100-run partnership with Stuart Broad. England reached 300 in 71.4 overs, with Stokes still playing on 155* and Broad on 11*.
In the 72.1st over, Hazlewood once again picked up the crucial wicket of Stokes, who was trying to snatch victory from Australia’s grasp. Stokes mistimed the shot, which resulted in an easy catch by Alex Carey. Stokes scored 155 runs off 213 balls with nine fours and nine sixes. In the 73.1 over, Pat Cummins dismissed Oli Robinson thanks to a brilliant catch by Steve Smith. Robinson could score just one run off six balls. Then in the 74.1 over, Hazlewood took the wicket of Stuart Broad off Cameron Green. Broad scored 11 runs off 36 balls, which included two fours.
England’s innings ended in 81.3 overs, the team being all out for 327 runs. Mitchell Starc took the final wicket of Josh Tongue, who scored 19 off 26 balls. Cummins (3/69), Starc (3/79) and Hazlewood (3/80) were Australia’s most successful bowlers. After the lunch break, England managed to reach a score of 243/6, with skipper Stokes and Stuart Broad unbeaten on 108(147)* and 1(10)* respectively.
The session was full of drama as England’s batsmen struggled against Australia’s bouncers. It ended with a thunderous applause from the crowd as Stokes climbed the stairs and jeers when the Australian players returned to the dressing room. England started the season on a positive note, with Ben Duckett and Stokes keeping the scoreboard going and hitting boundaries whenever possible.
However, the situation turned in Australia’s favor when Starc and Hazlewood bowled precise bouncers. Duckett was the first batsman who lost his composure and tried to catch the bowler. Unfortunately, he mistimed a pull shot off Hazlewood, which resulted in an easy top-edge by Alex Carey behind the stumps. Duckett was dismissed for 83 (112).
Jonny Bairstow steps up to keep England’s hopes of victory alive. He showed caution against short balls, leaving them when needed and focused on rotating the strike. As the English team tried to regain control of the chase, panic once again set in. However, Australia counterattacked smartly.
In the 52nd over, Bairstow ducked to avoid a Cameron Green bouncer, mistakenly believing the ball to be dead. Carey saw the opportunity and dodged Bairstow and quickly removed the bails. Bairstow was dismissed for 10(22) and the incident became a memorable moment in the series.
Tension escalated as the spirit of cricket was once again questioned. Stokes saw it all and decided to turn the Test match into a T20I game, changing gears with each ball. The crowd continued to boo the Australian bowlers for their bouncer tactics, while Stokes continued to entertain, hitting the ball with ease. Green became his primary target as Stokes plundered 24 runs in a single over.
At the other end, Stuart Broad kept his wicket and focused on staying put, scoring runs rarely. Australia tried to put pressure on Broad with their bouncer strategy, but the experienced pacer managed to fend off their onslaught. He even took a subtle jab at Carey by questioning whether the ball was dead. In the 56th over, Stokes raised his bat and lofted the ball into the stands. England ended the session on 243/6 after 57 overs, still needing 128 runs to win. England started the day at 112/4, with Stokes (29*) and Duckett (50*) not out.
Australia scored 279 runs in their second innings to take a strong lead of 370 runs over England. Usman Khawaja (77), Steve Smith (34) and Marnus Labushen played important innings for Australia.