The Ashes, 2nd Test, Day 1: Steve Smith Nears 32nd Test Century As Australia Make 339-5 At Stumps

Forced to bat, Australia punished fading England bowling in ideal conditions at Lord’s to post 339-5 by stumps on the first day Wednesday of the second Ashes Test. (More Cricket News)

Steve Smith, booed when he walked in and politely clapped when he walked off at stumps, led Australia’s charge with an unbeaten 85. Alex Carey was with him on 11.

Smith anchored century stands with Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head after opening batters David Warner and Usman Khawaja set them up by surviving a tough morning and disruption from Just Stop Oil protesters.

Josh Tongue, in his Ashes debut, became the first England bowler to bowl out Australia’s opening batsmen since 1968, and the first at Lord’s since 1884.

Another lingering concern for England was No. 3 batter Ollie Pope, who injured his right shoulder making a stop after lunch and didn’t return to the field. England said he was receiving ice treatment.

When Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to send in Australia, he would have expected to have a minimum of three wickets by lunch and be batting by the end of the day in England’s bid to level the series.

Conditions for the bowlers were that good.

The strip was grassy, clouds covered Lord’s all day, and the covers were removed only just before play began after a light drizzle left the air humid and perfect for England’s all-pace attack to swing the ball. England was without a specialist spinner or spin-bowling allrounder for only the second time in 20 years.

The two highest test wicket-takers at Lord’s, James Anderson and Stuart Broad, got plenty of movement on a pitch that was deceptively slow, but couldn’t get a wicket, and wouldn’t all day.

Anderson should have had Khawaja out on 1 to a catch at first slip but Joe Root grassed the laces-high chance.

Broad should have had Warner — whom he has dismissed 15 times — on 20 but Pope at fourth slip dropped a two-handed catch in front of him.

Warner’s mood was lightened just five minutes after the match began when two climate activists ran onto the field to try and spread orange powder on the pitch. Neither got close.

England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow carried one man on his hip 50 meters back to the boundary, and the other was corralled away from the pitch by Stokes and Warner and captured by stewards.

What little orange powder fell in the outfield was quickly vacuumed. Bairstow changed clothes and play resumed five minutes later.

But the tension was gone and Warner was playful, drawing grins from his long-time nemesis Broad. Warner had his eighth fifty in England by lunch.

Khawaja was watchful. His bat was beaten by Anderson, Broad and Ollie Robinson and he’d made 17 in the stand of 73 when Tongue, on the stroke of lunch, hit Khawaja’s off stump while the Australian shouldered arms.

Khawaja was stunned, and so was Warner when his leg stump was bowled by Tongue after lunch on 66. Warner slashed eight boundaries to sit on 1,999 runs in Ashes history.

Both opening batters were beaten by pace and swing. Tongue was at least 5 mph (8 kph) quicker than his fellow pacers.

Labuschagne and Smith combined for a stand of 102 in stark response to sharing a total of 35 runs at Edgbaston last week. Australia captain Pat Cummins expected a big comeback from his two best batters and they delivered at almost 5 an over.

Both batters overturned leg before decisions against them but after their ninth century stand in Tests, Labuschagne was out to a good ball by Robinson for 47.

In the last 10 Tests at Lord’s, the side which batted first was bowled out for under 200. Australia reached 200 only three down.

Head joined Smith and needed only 64 balls and 14 boundaries to surpass Smith on 72.

Head is vulnerable to the short ball at the start of his innings but England didn’t challenge him, and his fifty off 48 balls was the third fastest by an Australian at Lord’s. Head was out for 77 from 73 balls when he had a swish at Root and was stumped.

Cameron Green was the only Australian to give away his wicket when he sliced Root in the same over and was out for a duck.

Carey joined Smith, who passed 9,000 runs, the fourth Australian after Allan Border, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting. But Smith was grinding towards his 32nd century.