29 June,2023 08:37 PM IST | London | mid-day online correspondent
Conditions favored the English batters after lunch with the sun out and the slow pitch offering little movement (Pic: @englandcricket/Twitter)
England made good inroads into Australia's 416 all out, after having cruised to 145-1 by tea on day two of the second Ashes 2023 test after bowling out Australia for 416 at Lord's on Thursday.
Ben Duckett had a patient 62 and Ollie Pope was on 32. Spinner Nathan Lyon got the only wicket, gifted by Zac Crawley on 48.
Conditions favored the batters after lunch with the sun out and the slow pitch offering little movement.
Crawley and Duckett took advantage, combining for an untroubled 91 runs, the best stand by England openers against Australia since 2011 when Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook made 98. That was 32 Ashes tests ago.
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Crawley was the more impressive of the pair, hitting back-to-back fours against Mitchell Starc, driving and pulling Josh Hazlewood to the rope, and sweeping Lyon through midwicket.
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But on 48 off 47 balls, he was outsmarted by Lyon. Crawley charged and Lyon combined with wicketkeeper Alex Carey to stump him down the leg side.
England's fourth stumping of the series marked the most in a home Ashes series since 1993.
Duckett, who scored 182 against Ireland at Lord's this month, reached his first Ashes fifty from 84 balls with a boundary though midwicket against the expensive Starc.
Duckett was strong through midwicket and the covers for his eighth fifty in his 12th test.
Pope was relatively haring along with 32 from 40 balls, and showing no sign of the injured right shoulder from Wednesday that kept him from the field for most of three sessions.
He and Duckett had an unbeaten 54 together.
Starc was picked ahead of Scott Boland in the only change by Australia after winning at Edgbaston last week, but was proving costlier after his first seven overs were plundered for 55 runs.
(With AP inputs)
