Australia without Nathan Lyon extended its lead to 103 runs after bowling out England for 325 on the third morning on Friday of the second Ashes test at Lord’s. (More Cricket News)
Usman Khawaja and David Warner got Australia safely to lunch at 12 without loss from six overs of its second innings. They had 6 and 5 respectively.
Lyon injured his right calf running in the field after tea on Thursday, and Cricket Australia confirmed its frontline spinner suffered a “significant” strain. He came to Lord’s on crutches. Whether he returns in the five-match series will be determined after the match, where Australia is trying to go up 2-0.
The Australians picked up where they left off on Thursday, bowling short and hostile to defensive fields. But in friendlier overcast and cool conditions on Friday, they dismissed England before the new ball became available.
England resumed on 278-4 in reply to Australia’s 416, and the wicket of captain Ben Stokes to a wicked second ball of the day by Mitchell Starc started a rout of six wickets for 47 runs in less than 90 minutes.
Running up the slope, Starc got a leading edge off Stokes that was caught well by Cameron Green at third slip. Stokes didn’t add to his 17 overnight.
Harry Brook resumed on 45 and took a hit on the helmet from Pat Cummins. He proved he passed the concussion test on the next ball with a single to raise his eighth fifty in his ninth test.
But 50 from 68 balls was all Brook managed. He baseball-batted another short ball straight to Cummins at cover and gave Starc his 313th wicket, tied with Mitchell Johnson for fifth on Australia’s all-time list.
The last wickets fell in a heap after drinks.
Jonny Bairstow chipped Josh Hazlewood to Cummins at mid on for 16, and Travis Head, the spin alternative to Lyon, got his eighth and ninth test wickets.
Cummins got the last wicket to spread the rewards among all three quicks, with a bonus catch at short leg by Matt Renshaw, the fielding substitute for Lyon.
They gave Australia a first-innings lead of 91.
