Australia held a significant advantage over England on the first day of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s in England, thanks to a poor display from the English team and Steve Smith’s outstanding unbeaten innings of 85 runs.
England won the toss in damp conditions, which looked crucial, but they lacked bowling penetration and their fielding suffered from costly errors.
Smith, who was determined to make up for his previous innings in the first Test, took full advantage of the opportunity and led the Australian team to a score of 339-5. Smith put on a vital partnership of 102 with Marnus Labuschagne and 118 with Travis Head before David Warner contributed 66 runs. Head played a stormy innings of 77 runs off just 73 balls.
Ashes debutant Josh Tongue was a standout performer in England’s attack, exploiting the slope at Lord’s to dismiss both Warner and Usman Khawaja with deft deliveries. Later in the day, Joe Root managed to remove Head and Cameron Greene in the same over, but Smith’s continued presence posed a significant threat to England.
Despite being blocked by Just Stop Oil protesters, England’s Olly Pope suffered a shoulder injury and was forced to sit out most of the final two sessions. As the day drew to a close, England needed a quick turnaround on day two to regain their footing in the Test match and the series.
