CRICKET THE ASHES - SECOND TEST, DAY TWO:AUSTRALIA WERE on the back foot last night, fighting for survival in the second Test as the England pace bowlers tore their way through their batting order. All day a blanket of cloud lay over Lord's, bringing rain showers with it - sufficient to drive the players from the field for around an hour - but also the climatic conditions through which the ball can carve its curved path.
It swung, not prodigiously, but enough to make those who can manipulate the ball lick their lips and know that, at last, there could be some payback due for all the flat decks endured.
These are the conditions in which the attack leader Jimmy Anderson stands tall. The Nursery End is his territory now, the better to set a swing bowling action and use the slope and prevailing wind to his advantage, and in two spells he removed first Phillip Hughes, then, not without controversy (but with justice served nevertheless) Ricky Ponting. With the third delivery of his second spell, he claimed Michael Clarke too, who clipped straight to short mid-wicket just as England hoped he would.
Graham Onions claimed the adhesive Simon Katich with the aid of Stuart Broad's stunning, tumbling boundary catch at long leg, and Andrew Flintoff bowled Mike Hussey, who had no stroke to offer a straight ball shortly after completing a half century. That left Australia reeling at 111 for five, and facing an uphill struggle to avoid the ignominious possibility of following on.
Further inroads came when Marcus North dragged a wild pull on to his middle stump in attempting to get off the mark, Mitchell Johnson hooked straight to the man set on the boundary for him and Brad Haddin mistimed a pull to mid-wicket.
Six wickets fell for 49 in a shade over 15 overs in the final session before bad light, or rather the shadows from the new Lord's floodlights, suspended play with Australia 156 for eight, still 70 short of avoiding the follow-on. More rain arrived directly and, with leaden skies away to the west, further play never looked possible.
When Ponting came in to face the new ball, Anderson, moving it sharply in to him from a full length, got his man. In real time, the ball appeared to hit him almost full on the boot, and Anderson screamed his lbw appeal. Meanwhile the ball had deflected to Strauss at first slip who caught it on the full.
The umpire Rudi Koertzen had decided that Ponting had edged on to his pad, his only concern whether the ball had carried. This was confirmed by the third umpire, and, to his obvious disgust Ponting had to go. Replays showed that his concern about the mode of dismissal was justified in that his bat had hit his boot but not the ball. Hawk-Eye, on the other hand, whose reliability on marginal lbws is questionable, had the ball hitting halfway up the centre of leg-stump which is less debatable.
Either way Ponting was out.
For much of the final session, England were without Kevin Pietersen, who appears to be hampered once more by the Achilles' tendon condition that has caused concern. Although he reappeared shortly before the teams left the field, his survival throughout the series must be questionable. All the cortisone allowed him has gone now.
GuardianService
Overnight: England 364-6 (A Strauss 161 no, A Cook 95).
ENGLAND - First Innings (cont)
A Strauss b Hilfenhaus 161
S J Broad b Hilfenhaus 16
G Swann c Ponting b Siddle 4
J Anderson c Hussey b Johnson 29
G Onions not out 17
Extras (b15 lb2 nb8) 25
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Total(101.4 overs) ... 425
Fall of wickets:1-196, 2-222, 3-267, 4-302, 5-317, 6-333, 7-364, 8-370, 9-378. Bowling: Hilfenhaus 31-12-103-4, Johnson 21.4-2-132-3, Siddle 20-1-76-2, Hauritz 8.3-1-26-0, North 16.3-4-59-0, Clarke 4-1-12-1.
AUSTRALIA - First Innings (bad light stopped play)
P Hughes c Prior b Anderson 4
S Katich c Broad b Onions 48
R Ponting c Strauss b Anderson 2
ME K Hussey b Flintoff 51
M Clarke c Cook b Anderson 1
M North b Anderson 0
B Haddin c Cook b Broad 28
M Johnson c Cook b Broad 4
N Hauritz not out 3
P Siddle not out 3
Extras (b4 lb6 nb2) 12
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Total 8 wkts (49 overs) ... 156
Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-10, 3-103, 4-111, 5-111, 6-139, 7-148, 8-152.
To bat: B W Hilfenhaus.
Bowling:Anderson 17-5-36-4, Flintoff 12-4-27-1, Broad 11-1-47-2, Onions 8-1-32-1, Swann 1-0-4-0.
