Off-spinner's performance at Lord's gives England massive edge in second Ashes Test
Graeme Swann led the way as England bowled hapless Australia out for 128 in reply to 361 on Day Two of the second Investec Test at Lord’s yesterday.
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England’s Graeme Swann celebrates after taking a fifer yesterday. Pics/Getty Images.
Australia were compliant in their own collapse, from 42 for none, after Swann and Stuart Broad’s counter-attacking last-wicket stand of 48 had already swung the match England’s way despite Ryan Harris’ five for 72.
The wicket of Shane Watson, to what proved the final ball before lunch, prefaced a passage of play in which Australia quickly used up their two permitted DRS procedures and no batsman could halt the slide.
England nonetheless chose not to enforce the follow-on, on a pitch already favouring the off-spin of Swann (five for 44) and sure to be especially awkward for the team batting last here.
Shane Warne is congratulated by his fiance Elizabeth Hurley after he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame yesterday
England were 31 for three in their second dig at stumps with Siddle claiming all the three wickets.
Australia had progressed promisingly for a time in glorious conditions, after Watson came through a testing new-ball spell from James Anderson.u00a0But with 30 to his name, Australia’s top score, the opener got pad rather than bat in line with the ball after Alastair Cook had switched Tim Bresnan to the Pavilion End.
The tourists lost their first review, Watson chancing DRS — which merely proved impact was in line with off-stump for a delivery which would have hit leg.
The next wicket was an oddity, another lbw but via a box-high full-toss from Swann.u00a0Chris Rogers missed his attempted pull, and Marais Erasmus raised the finger. In the absence of any encouragement to review from non-striker Usman Khawaja, Rogers trudged off to be greeted in the dressing-room by Hawkeye footage showing the ball missing leg-stump.
Australia’s horror sequence of DRS misuse was concluded soon afterwards when Phil Hughes immediately called for the process after Kumar Dharmasena gave him out caught-behind attempting to flash a drive away from his front pad off Bresnan.
This time, there was insufficient evidence on video and enhanced audio replay for third umpire Tony Hill to overturn the on-field decision.
Khawaja had already survived when Jonathan Trott dropped a straightforward catch at slip off Swann, but he could not take advantage - mistiming an attempted big hit at the off-spinner to be caught at deep mid-off.
Turn, bounce and good reactions from short-leg Ian Bell allowed Swann to have Steve Smith caught off his glove.u00a0Australia captain Michael Clarke still stood in England’s way, but not for long before Broad had him lbw with a full-length inswinger.
Then, just to properly complete a session in which Australia had imploded, they threw in a self-inflicted run-out too.
Ashton Agar and Brad Haddin dug in for eight overs but mustered only five runs together, before a mix-up over a single saw the teenager short of his ground as Matt Prior ferried the ball to the non-striker’s end from behind square on the leg-side.
Earlier, Broad, Swann and Anderson had bolstered England’s patchy innings, raising home spirits and denting Australia’s by grabbing an extra 72 runs for the final two wickets.
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