England’s costly habit of unforced batting errors reared its head again at Lord’s as they gifted control of the second Ashes Test to Australia.
The tourists, already 1-0 up after edging a nail-biter at Edgbaston, ended day three with a commanding 221-run lead and a platform to make themselves overwhelming favourites to win both the game and the series.
England were knocked over for 325 in a deflating morning session, losing six wickets for 47 as they turned a competitive position into a first-innings deficit of 91. At one stage on the second evening they had looked at ease on 188 for one, but 24 hours later they had a mountain to climb.
While a host of England’s leading batters were the authors of their own downfall, Australia once against trusted a more pragmatic approach as they gritted their teeth in awkward conditions to reach 130 for two.
With the ball nipping around under floodlights and murky skies, Australia’s insistence on a more risk-averse strategy than England’s all-out aggression paid dividends. Usman Khawaja, dropped on 19 by James Anderson, led the way as he did in the first Test at Edgbaston as he compiled a hard-working 58no.
Follow all the action from day three of the second Ashes test match:
