Australia hold out for draw as Smith sidelined

By AFP

August 19, 2019

LONDON: Australia held out for a draw after Jofra Archer and Jack Leach nearly bowled England to an improbable win in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s on Sunday.

Australia were 154-6 at the close, having been set a stiff target of 267 in 48 overs when England captain Joe Root declared after lunch on the back of Ben Stokes’s unbeaten century. It seemed the match was destined for a a draw, with Australia 132-3 after tea in a Test where five sessions were washed out completely, with rain also delaying Sunday’s start by over an hour.

But Australia, who still lead the five-match series 1-0 after their 251-run win at Edgbaston, then lost three wickets for 17 runs to give England renewed hope. Come the last over, bowled by left-arm spinner Leach, England needed four wickets but Pat Cummins played out three deliveries to secure a draw, with Australia finishing on 154-6.

Fast bowler Archer took 3-32 to finish with five wickets on his Test debut, with Leach returning figures of 3-37. Australia’s Steve Smith had to sit out Sunday’s play with concussion suffered when hit by a bouncer from Test debutant Archer during his 92 on Saturday — the first time this series he had been out for under a hundred.

Given the short turnaround, Smith could now miss the third Test in Leeds starting on Thursday. Smith’s replacement Marnus Labuschagne top-scored with 59. David Warner’s miserable series continued when, on five, he edged Archer to Rory Burns.

Australia were 19-2 when Usman Khawaja (2) was caught behind off Archer . The first over after tea saw struggling opener Cameron Bancroft (16) plumb lbw to a ball that kept low from Leach, with Australia in trouble at 47-3.

Travis Head remained unbeaten on 42. But Labuschagne fell when his sweep off Leach deflected off Jos Buttler at short leg before looping to Root, diving forward at midwicket. Leach then had Matthew Wade (one) taken at short leg before Joe Denly held a sensational diving left-handed catch at midwicket to dismiss Tim Paine. Earlier man-of-the-match Stokes scored 115 not out before Root declared England’s second innings on 258-5.

Australia won toss

England 1st Innings 258 all out (R Burns 53; J Hazlewood 3-58, P Cummins 3-61)

Australia 1st Innings 250 all out (S Smith 92; C Woakes 3-61)

England 2nd Innings

R Burns c Paine b Siddle 29

J Roy c and b Cummins 2

*J Root c Paine b Cummins 0

J Denly c and b Siddle 26

B Stokes not out 115

J Buttler c Hazlewood b Cummins 31

†J Bairstow not out 30

Extras (b5, lb19, nb1) 25