2nd Test: England v Australia at Lord's, 19-23 Jul 2001 CricInfo Live Report

2nd Test: England v Australia at Lord's, 19-23 Jul 2001
Kate Laven

Australia 1st innings: Afternoon session - Day 2, Tea - Day 2,
England 1st innings: Morning session - Day 2, Lunch - Day 2,
Live Reports from previous days

MARK WAUGH LEADS AUSTRALIA TOWARDS ENGLAND TOTAL

England continued to put pressure on Australia at Lord’s this afternoon after another fiery spell from Somerset paceman Andrew Caddick.

After removing Matthew Hayden with his fifth delivery of the innings, Caddick returned to replace Craig White after the England all-rounder had been hit for 11 off one over.

The first ball of his new spell found Michael Slater trying to pull him through mid-wicket but he mistimed the shot and edged it to wicket-keeper Alec Stewart. It was a scratchy and unattractive innings by Slater’s standards, his 25 taking almost two hours and including 62 balls, only two of which he struck for four.

The Australian captain arrived to join his brother who was very nearly run out next ball when Mark Ramprakash at short mid-wicket took a shy at the bowlers end but instead of hitting the stumps, he hit the bat of Mark Waugh, who would have been out by a mile.

Waugh was also dropped off a difficult chance just before tea when Marcus Trescothick dived to his right but failed to cling on. Waugh went into tea unbeaten on 61, having hit eight boundaries, while Steve Waugh was two not out, his side 118 for three in reply to England’s first innings total of 187.

WAUGH AND SLATER FIGHT BACK FOR AUSTRALIA

Australia made a faltering start to their innings at Lord’s this afternoon when both Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden fell victim to a spell of fast precision bowling from England’s seamers.

Replying to England’s disappointing first innings total of 187, Australia were 27 for two before Michael Slater and Mark Waugh came together to steady the innings and after 15 overs had moved the total to 66 for two with Slater unbeaten on 14 and Mark Waugh taking the lead with 25.

Andrew Caddick made the breakthrough in a superb second over in which every ball troubled the opening pair of Slater and Matthew Hayden. With his fifth ball, the tall Somerset paceman found the edge of Hayden’s bat and the ball flew to Mark Butcher at second slip to give England their first wicket after just 11 deliveries.

Ponting stayed for just 12 minutes and hit three of the 12 balls he faced for four but he too was caught in the slips, this time by Graham Thorpe off Darren Gough’s bowling with the score 27 for two.

MCGRATH BLITZES ENGLAND MIDDLE ORDER

England’s plan to gather 350 first innings runs were scuppered this morning by a brilliant spell of bowling by Australia’s Glenn McGrath who led a blitz on England’s middle order to trigger a collapse.

After his two wickets on the first day of the Second npower Test Match, McGrath snapped up another three in 20 balls as England lost their last six wickets for 66 runs to finish with 187.

McGrath’s figures at the close of the innings were 5-54, his 19th five-wicket haul in Test cricket though it was Shane Warne and Jason Gillespie who mopped up the England tail with Warne bowling both Andrew Caddick and Darren Gough in the closing moments before lunch.

Dominic Cork played aggressively and looked to be at home, especially when he hooked McGrath for six over fine leg, but after hitting four boundaries, he struck out at the second ball of Jason Gillespie’s new spell and Ricky Ponting at cover made a superb catch low down at ground level to finish off Cork’s innings after he had made 24.

It earned Gillespie his second wicket and he finished with 2-56 while Warne, who only bowled 5.3 overs on a pitch which last night was described by Duncan Fletcher as ‘relatively benign’, finished with 2-16.

But the morning belonged to McGrath who in 1997 took an historic 8-38 against England at Lord’s to see his name etched on the famous board in the visitors' dressing room.

MCGRATH DASHES ENGLAND'S HOPES

Glenn McGrath dashed England hopes of posting a substantial first innings total at Lord’s today when he took three wickets in 20 balls in the first hour of play.

The gloomy overcast conditions of yesterday gave way to bright sunshine over London but the clouds over England grew darker in the second over of the morning when Alec Stewart, who arrived at the crease five balls from the close last night, drove timidly at McGrath and edged the ball to Adam Gilchrist behind the stumps.

England needed a robust middle order partnership to put Australia under pressure after the loss of four wickets on the first day but the early loss of Stewart for a duck represented a disastrous start for them – with just five runs added to the overnight total of 121.

Graham Thorpe, who made a confident return to Test cricket yesterday following a six-week absence through injury, departed 11 balls later with a disappointing fencing shot at a short ball from McGrath. The edge went to Gilchrist and the wicket was McGrath’s second in six deliveries – and his fourth overall, bringing back memories of his remarkable 8-38 against England at Lord’s in 1997.

And when new batsman Craig White slapped a ball to Matthew Hayden at gully, to record the second duck of the morning, McGrath had picked up five wickets in an innings for the 19th time in Tests. Between the first and last, he yielded just 12 runs to England who by then had crumbled to 131 for seven placing the 350 target, as set by coach Duncan Fletcher after the first day’s play, well out of reach.