Day two of second Ashes Test: Play finally begins as Archer shows potential

Day two of second Ashes Test: Play finally begins as Archer shows potential

Jofra Archer offered a tantalising glimpse of his Ashes potential as England attempted to bowl their way back into the second Test having been dismissed for 258 at Lord’s.

After a washout on day one, visiting captain Tim Paine made the brave call to field first in what appeared welcoming batting conditions, the first Australian captain to insert the opposition since February 2016.

The gamble largely paid off, England’s innings subsiding shortly before 6pm, but battling knocks from Rory Burns (53) and Jonny Bairstow (52) provided a foothold in the game.

Stuart Broad removed David Warner with a beauty as the tourists reached 30 for one at stumps but Archer, England’s most eagerly anticipated debutant since Kevin Pietersen, turned in a compelling six-over cameo that hinted at plenty more to come.

He was wicketless at the close but generated a tangible electricity at the same ground where his super over helped England win the World Cup just a month ago.

Tweet of the day

Snapshot

England’s Stuart Broad celebrates dismissing Australia’s David Warner for the third time this series
England’s Stuart Broad celebrates dismissing Australia’s David Warner for the third time this series (Mike Egerton/PA)

Barbados-born Jofra Archer qualified to play for England in March
Barbados-born Jofra Archer qualified to play for England in March (Mike Egerton/PA)

Special day for Strauss family

The day’s play took place in support of the Ruth Strauss Foundation, with both sides donning limited-edition caps and shirts to raise funds in honour of former England captain Andrew Strauss’ late wife. Strauss and his two sons rang the five-minute bell and led the teams out to the field to a great ovation, while the majority of the sell-out crowd dressed in red to show their support.

Stat attack

While there was a belated start to the second Test, there was once again a premature end to a Jason Roy innings. The South Africa-born batsman was dismissed for a three-ball duck as Josh Hazlewood made a blistering start to justify Paine’s decision to bowl first. Roy has now made just 43 runs from his first four Test innings as an England opener, including the first Test at Edgbaston, with his 72 against Ireland coming at number three.

Catch of the day

Burns was given little time to bask in the glory of his half-century due to the superb reflexes of Cameron Bancroft. Bancroft dived full stretch to his left at short leg and managed to hold on to the catch after England opener Burns, who made 53, fended Pat Cummins’ short delivery off his hip.

Hazlewood back with a bang

Josh Hazlewood celebrates taking the wicket of Joe Root
Josh Hazlewood celebrates taking the wicket of Joe Root (Mike Egerton/PA)

Improvement from umpires

In the Edgbaston match, umpire Joel Wilson tied the Test record for the most decisions overturned by the Decision Review System (eight). The officials fared far better on Thursday. On-field duo Aleem Dar and Chris Gaffaney, with Wilson assisting them as the TV umpire, had no decisions overturned. Dar, from Pakistan, also equalled Steve Bucknor’s record for umpiring the most Tests (128).

Weather watch

Prolonged downpours turned Wednesday’s opening day into a complete washout. There were no such problems on Thursday as play continued uninterrupted in north-west London, with the spectators bathed in sunshine for much of the day. Friday’s Met Office forecast is not as promising, however. Cloudy conditions in the morning are expected to make way for light rain in the afternoon, followed by heavy downpours from 4pm.

What’s next?

August 16: England v Australia, day three of the second Ashes Test, Lord’s.

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