LONDON: Australia are in driver’s seat at second Ashes Test at Lord’s. After taking 91-run first innings lead, the visitors were 130 for 2 in 45.4 overs in their second innings when rain stopped play on third day.
David Warner (25) and Marnus Labuschange (30) went back while Usman Khawaja (58) and Steven Smith (6) were at the crease.
In contrast to England's swashbuckling approach with the bat, Australian openers Usman Khawaja and David Warner put on 63 runs at a snail's pace before Warner (25) was trapped lbw by a ball nipping in from Josh Tongue in the 25th over.
While it is only the first time since 1971 that two sides' opening partnerships have scored more than 50 runs in the first three innings of a test match, these two teams' approaches to the job could hardly be different.
Warner's 25 came off 76 balls, a glacial pace compared with England's Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett in the first innings.
At the other end for Australia, Khawaja has now faced more balls in the first two Tests of an Ashes series in England than any batter since his compatriot Bill Brown all the way back in 1938.
Earlier in the day, England's last six wickets tumbled for just 47 runs in a helter-skelter hour and a half of play, taking the home side to 325 in reply to Australia's first innings score of 416. Mitchell Starc claimed 3 wickets for 88 while Josh Hazlewood and Travis Head took two each. Agencies
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