Nathan Lyon’s chances of playing any further part in the Ashes looked to be in doubt after he arrived on the third morning at Lord’s on crutches.

The Australia spinner had to be helped off the pitch on Thursday evening after pulling up with an apparent calf problem as he fielded in the deep.

The 35-year-old, playing his 100th consecutive Test, looked distraught as he hobbled around the boundary edge with question marks immediately raised over his continued presence on the tour.

He joined his team-mates at the ground on Friday morning, but his reliance on crutches and the presence of a compression sock told its own story.

It now seems almost impossible that he will be play a role in ongoing match, while the three-day turnaround before the third Test at Headingley means that must be highly unlikely too.

Cricket Australia’s medical staff are monitoring Lyon but offered no official update as he battles to save his series.

Steve Smith admitted he was not optimistic when asked about the injury at the end of day two.

“Obviously it didn’t look good,” he said.

“I mean it doesn’t look ideal for the rest of the game. I’m not sure how he actually is, but if he is no good, it is obviously a big loss for us.

“Fingers crossed he is okay but it didn’t look good.”

Australia have three part-time spinners who may be asked to pick up a share of the workload over the next three days, with Smith joined by Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne, but should Lyon be ruled out of the next match Todd Murphy is in line for promotion.

Ben Stokes and Harry Brook will aim to help England into a first-innings lead on the third morning of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s.

England punched back on an absorbing day two, with Australia losing their last seven wickets for 100 runs as they collapsed from 339 for five overnight to 416 all out.

Steve Smith still brought up his 12th Ashes century, but the hosts quickly set about eating into the deficit and Ben Duckett led the charge with a fine 98.

Australia’s tactic of bowling short produced a gripping final session and accounted for Duckett, Ollie Pope and Joe Root.

But Stokes calmed the storm with a mature unbeaten 17 from 57 balls and will hope to push England on from 278 for four alongside Brook (45no).

View from the dressing roomComparisons to 2005 you say?

Nathan Lyon’s calf injury may not just be match-defining, but could have a significant say on who wins the series.

In his 100th consecutive Test, Lyon raced in from the boundary rope to try and catch Duckett’s lofted pull shot in the 37th over of England’s innings, but halted his stride. He immediately felt the back of his right calf and had to be helped off by a member of Australia’s medical team.

Lyon limped back to the pavilion and there are fears about his future involvement in the rest of the Ashes.

It brought back memories of Glenn McGrath’s busted ankle on the eve of the second Test in the 2005 series.

Harry hanging high

Brook was one of several England batters to walk into the face of a barrage of short-pitch bowling during an entertaining evening session on day two.

Runs followed, but so did wickets with Duckett, Pope and Root all picking out fielders on the boundary rope.

It sparked debate over whether a more conservative approach should be taken, especially given the extra load now expected of the Aussie seamers in Lyon’s anticipated absence.

Brook kept up the aggressive ‘Bazball’ mantra and enjoyed one life when Marnus Labuschagne put down a sharp chance, but Stokes was surprisingly more measured.

It was the type of captain’s knock England needed to ensure they did not lose their momentum.

Smith loves Lord’s and England!

Smith produced another superb Ashes innings of 110 and reached three figures with a gorgeous cover drive. Records tumble when the idiosyncrasies of the Test great are on display at the crease.

This effort was not only his second century at Lord’s, after hitting 215 in the 2015 series, but also the eighth time he has scored a Test hundred in England. His tally of 12 in Ashes Tests has moved him up to joint-third on the list of most centuries against one team.

But Don Bradman’s mark of 19 hundreds against England remains a little out of reach though.

Creepy crunches another

Smith had a couple of contenders for shot of the day but Zak ‘Creepy’ Crawley deserves the honour for his sumptuous drive straight after lunch.

It was not punched away like his first ball at Edgbaston, but was played with the pleasing sight of a straight bat and helped the Kent batter make 48.

However, fellow opener Duckett stole the show with arguably his best Test innings for England.

There would be no crowning century, after he pulled Josh Hazlewood to David Warner at fine leg on 98, but his array of square drives and cuts backed up his desire to continuously get bat on ball.

Home of cricket turns red for Ruth

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It was another hugely successful ‘Red for Ruth’ Day with more than £400,000 raised for the Ruth Strauss Foundation. Ex-England opener Strauss set up the charity in memory of his wife Ruth, who died in 2018 from a non-smoking lung cancer.

The foundation supports thousands of families that deal with the impact of a terminal cancer diagnosis. More funds will be raised with items to be donated, including the match-worn clothes of both England and Australia.

Strauss and his sons Sam and Luca rang the bell before day two and witnessed a Lord’s covered in red.

“A tough day, an emotional day and a beautiful day,” Strauss reflected. “It is great to have my boys with me to see everything Ruth stood for. It helps to know we are helping so many families.”

Cricket West Indies (CWI) Men’s Selection Panel has announced the squad for the preparation camp ahead of the start of the two-match Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Series against India in the Caribbean.

Jayden Seales will return to West Indies training following his rehabilitation. The fast bowler last played for West Indies in the first Test at the Perth Stadium, last December. He had knee surgery in December and has subsequently been working on a rehabilitation programme overseen by the CWI Medical Team.

The training squad includes several players who are uncapped at the Test level – including batsmen Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, and Kirk McKenzie; as well as fast bowlers Akeem Jordan, and Jair McAllister.

The camp will be held at the Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) in Antigua with training starting on Friday 30 June. The squad for the opening Test will be named at a later date and will travel to Dominica on Sunday 9 July.A

The Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test series will be the first fixtures for both West Indies & India in the new 2023-2025 ICC World Test Championship. The first Test will be at Windsor Park, Dominica from 12-16 July which will be followed by the historic second Test on 20-24 July at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad – marking the 100th Test match between West Indies and India.

 SQUAD:  Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Alick Athanaze, Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Kavem Hodge, Akeem Jordan, Jair McAllister, Kirk McKenzie, Marquino Mindley, Anderson Phillip, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Jomel Warrican

TEST MATCH SCHEDULE:

Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Matches (start at 10am local time, (9am Jamaica time))

12-16 July: 1st Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Match, Windsor Park, Dominica

20-24 July: 2nd Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Match, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad

Ben Duckett insisted England had no regrets about taking on Australia’s short-ball challenge at Lord’s, despite being dismissed by a bouncer just two runs short of a first Ashes century.

England vastly improved their position on day two of the second Test, taking the last five wickets for 77 to dismiss their rivals for 416, then responding with 278 for four.

That represented a sizeable swing in fortunes after a lethargic first-day performance, but it might have been even better. They had Australia boxed in at 188 for one, but saw Ollie Pope, Duckett and Joe Root all lose their wickets during a sustained barrage of bumpers.

A more cautious approach might have helped them negotiate a frenetic passage of play more safely, but would have been out of character for a team who have spent a year steering into risks and taking the aggressive approach.

Duckett is a true believer of the ‘Bazball’ philosophy and was at peace after being caught at fine-leg pulling Josh Hazlewood.

“It’s a shot I play and a shot I’ve scored plenty of runs with in my career. I would have been gutted with myself if I’d gone away from it, gone into my shell and gloved one behind,” he said.

“Ten metres either side and I’ve got a hundred. Falling so close to three figures here at Lord’s, I was obviously gutted for half-an-hour after, but I’m happy with how I played. I thought it was certainly my best innings in an England shirt.

“It’s the way we play our cricket. If they have plans like that and we go into our shell, it would be totally against what we do. We lost a couple of wickets but we’re in a good position.

“I was batting with Popey and Rooty but there was not a lot of chat, it was just ‘how do you want to go about this?’. That’s the kind of fun environment we are creating. If you want to back away and hit it over cover for six or do whatever you need to do, then just commit to it.

“Popey just said ‘I’m going get inside of it and smack it into the stands’. No-one in that dressing room will be disappointed with how Popey got out, everyone will just be a bit gutted it didn’t go for six.”

Earlier in the day Australia’s Steve Smith did manage to make it to a century, scoring 110 as he celebrated his 12th Ashes ton. Only the great Donald Bradman has more in the series, well clear on 19, and Smith had a different perspective on England’s approach.

He felt vindicated that Australia’s seamers kept creating openings at a time when they could easily have retreated into defence and credited Ben Stokes, the chief architect of England’s all-out aggression, for restoring an element of calm at the end.

“Lord’s has deep pockets, so if you are going to hit it for six you’re going to have to get a fair piece of it. The fielders are there if you don’t,” he said.

“We were setting fields and they were taking it on. England are playing this really aggressive brand and they didn’t look like they were holding back. That created opportunities for us.

“It was great that we managed to create so many chances on that kind of wicket. It was just Stokesy who changed it. He was only looking to get underneath it, or ride it out. The rest were trying to take it on and we probably didn’t feel as in the game against him as we did with the others.”

Australia centurion Steve Smith admitted Nathan Lyon’s calf injury does not look good with the tourists’ braced to play the rest of the second Ashes Test without their frontline spinner.

Lyon injured his right calf while trying to make up ground to catch Ben Duckett’s lofted pull shot off Cameron Green in the 37th over of England’s innings.

The sight of Lyon holding the back of his calf and being forced to hobble off the pitch brought back memories of Glenn McGrath’s busted ankle on the eve of the second Ashes Test in the 2005 series.

A Cricket Australia spokesperson later confirmed Lyon was being assessed and while no scan has been booked, his chances of featuring in the rest of the Lord’s Test look over and his whole series could even be in doubt.

“Yeah, I haven’t been up in the sheds yet but obviously it didn’t look good,” Smith conceded.

“I mean it doesn’t look ideal for the rest of the game. I’m not sure how he actually is, but if he is no good, it is obviously a big loss for us.

“He is in his 100th consecutive Test match, which I know he was really looking forward to taking part in and having a role in.

“Fingers crossed he is okay but it didn’t look good obviously.

“It is not ideal, particularly your spin bowler. One player with one role. Batters, I suppose there are loads of us around so it is a bit different.

“Nathan, if he is no good, would be a huge loss. However, we have Todd Murphy waiting in the wings, who has been bowling beautifully in nets and bowled really well in India when he got his opportunity.

“I would be confident if he came in that he would do a terrific job for us but fingers crossed Nathan is alright.”

Smith, who struck 110 in Australia’s first innings total of 416, warmed up for this English summer with a three-match stint for Sussex, where he claimed two for 55 in his final appearance against Glamorgan.

But the part-time leg-spinner insisted: “I haven’t been working on my bowling at all.

“I bowled a few overs at the back end of one of the games – where pretty much the game was dead – just because everyone else was cooked.

“Hopefully I won’t have to bowl too much. I thought (Travis) Heady bowled all right, a bit different to Nathan, just skidding them more than Nathan does.

“Yeah, Heady is probably the one who is going to have to take a fair chunk of the spin overs and maybe myself and Marnus (Labuschagne) will chop in here and there.

“Yeah, not ideal when you lose your spinner on a surface that is not offering a great deal for the quick bowlers.”

England opener Ben Duckett sent his best wishes to Lyon but acknowledged the absence of Australia’s veteran spinner could be crucial in their efforts to level the series.

“It is a huge shame. I really hope it’s not too bad for him,” Duckett said.

“You never want to see anyone go down with an injury. He was going to play a massive part in that fourth innings because he is such a good bowler. If they go bumpers with all three bowlers, they’ll be pretty tired.”

Smith, who was 85 not out overnight, celebrated his 32nd Test hundred in the morning session.

A sumptuous cover drive for four earned Smith his 12th Ashes century, with eight of them occurring in England.

He added: “It is obviously a huge moment, I love playing here at Lords. I have spent a fair bit of time in the middle the last two times here and then this game as well.

“It is a nice place to play if you get in, you get good value for your shots and nice to get myself back up on the honours board again.”

Cricket West Indies (CWI) hosted the Professional Cricketers draft last Thursday for the Territorial Board Franchises. Each Franchise drafted five players to complete their 15-member squads for an interim three (3) month period ahead of the 2023 CG United Super50 Cup, scheduled to take place in October 2023.

Each team had already retained 10 players and the Professional Cricketers Draft enabled each team to add five players to complete their 15-member squads. The Draft took place over five rounds via a videocall with representatives from all six Territorial Board Franchises.  The interim contracts will run from 1 July 2023 to 30 September 2023, with new twelve-month contracts to start from 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2024, following the strategic decision to now align contracts with the CWI Financial Year.

Each Franchise was required to contract two players under the age of 25 as of 1 October 2023 as part of the overall regional programme to ensure playing opportunities for younger and developing players.  Franchises will get the opportunity to revise their squads ahead of 1 October once the West Indies International Retainer contracts for the 2023/24 season have been confirmed. All International retained players and umpires have been offered three-month contract extensions to 30 September 2023.

Two highlights of the draft were the selections of West Indies international players Oshane Thomas and Justin Greaves, chosen by the Leeward Islands Hurricanes. Fast bowler Thomas has played 20 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 20 T20 Internationals (T20Is) for the West Indies. He has managed five-wicket hauls in both formats. Greaves is a tall right-handed middle-order batsman and right-arm seam bowler, who played three ODIs for the West Indies against Ireland in 2022.

Windward Islands Volcanoes, who was unbeaten in the last regional First Class season, chose to draft in two overseas players: left-handed opener Jeremy Solozano who previously played for Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, and allrounder Shamar Springer, over from Barbados Pride.

 Thomas, 26, said he was pleased to join the Leeward Islands Hurricanes camp. “I’m happy to get this opportunity. I’m really looking forward to joining the Franchise and being part of the unit. I see it as a new start, a chance for me to work way back up to international cricket, where I performed before. I still have a dream of playing Test cricket for the West Indies and the red ball season will be crucial. I’m also keen to play the other formats, but first I have to do it for Leeward Islands Hurricanes and then make that step back up to international cricket.”

The six Franchises will continue their preparations for the upcoming season. The CG United Super50 Cup is schedule to return to Antigua and Trinidad, starting on 21 October with the Final set to take place on 11 November where defending champions the Jamaica Scorpions will attempt to retain their title.

Guyana Harpy Eagles were crowned champions of the 2023 West Indies Championship, lifting the Headley Weekes Trophy, named in honour of West Indies legends George Headley and Sir Everton Weekes.

FULL SQUADS

Barbados Pride: Shayne Moseley, Zachary McCaskie, Raymon Reifer, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, Akeem Jordan, Dominic Drakes, Jomel Warrican, Kevin Wickham, Jair McAllister

Draft picks: Roshon Primus, Chaim-Alexis Holder, Jonathan Drakes, Keon Harding, Camarie Boyce

Guyana Harpy Eagles: Veerasammy Permaul, Gudakesh Motie, Tevin Imlach, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kevin Sinclair, Nial Smith, Ronsford Beaton, Matthew Nandu, Kemol Savory, Kevlon Anderson

Draft picks: Shamar Joseph, Rampertab Ramnath, Mavendra Dindyal, Junior Sinclair, Antony Adams

Jamaica Scorpions: Kirk McKenzie, Ojay Shields, Abhijai Mansingh, Jeavor Royal, Marquino Mindley, Derval Green, Peat Salmon, Javel Glenn, Daniel Beckford, Tevin Gilzene

Draft picks: Shalome Parnell, Carlos Brown, Andre Bailey, Gordon Bryan, Brad Barnes

Leeward Islands Hurricanes: Kieran Powell, Rahkeem Cornwall, Jahmar Hamilton, Colin Archibald, Kofi James, Karima Gore, Jeremiah Louis, Daniel Doram, Keacy Carty, Javier Spencer

Draft picks: Justin Greaves, Oshane Thomas, Nathan Edward, Miklye Louis, Zawandi White Trinidad and Tobago Red Force: Darren Bravo, Yannic Cariah, Jason Mohammed, Imran Khan, Bryan Charles, Khary Pierre, Terrance Hinds, Tion Webster, Shannon Gabriel, Anderson Phillip

 Draft picks: Kjorn Ottley, Amir Jangoo, Jyd Goolie, Cephas Cooper, Shaaron Lewis

 Windward Islands Volcanoes: Sunil Ambris, Alick Athanaze, Larry Edward, Kavem Hodge, Shermon Lewis, Ryan John, Darius Martin, Preston McSween, Kimani Melius, Tevyn Walcott

 Draft picks: Shamar Springer, Jeremy Solozano, Kenneth Dember, Johann Jeremiah, Nicklaus Redhead.

Ben Duckett fell an agonising two runs short of an Ashes century as England took the fight back to Australia in the second Test at Lord’s.

England had been a shadow of themselves on day one but rallied impressively with bat and ball before being dragged into a costly a short-ball battle during a gripping final session.

The hosts took five for 77 in the morning session to dismiss Australia for 416, a strong total but one that represented a poor return from a peak of 316 for three.

Duckett then led his side to 278 for four, punching his way to a gutsy 98 but stumbling in sight of glory as he top-edged a Josh Hazlewood bouncer to fine-leg.

The Nottinghamshire opener would have been dismayed to spring a trap that also accounted for Ollie Pope and Joe Root, but this may still go down as a career-best effort.

Duckett has reached three figures twice before but with the quality of the Australian attack and the parlous situation in the series, this trumped his 182 against a limited Ireland earlier this month and his maiden hundred in a run-fest in Rawalpindi.

Australia bowled bumpers almost exclusively for an adrenaline-fuelled hour in the evening, playing on England’s eagerness and ego after spinner Nathan Lyon suffered a worrying calf injury.

On the occasion of his 100th consecutive Test, a testament to his spotless fitness record, Lyon pulled up lame as he collected the ball in the deep and had to be helped off the pitch.

There must now be major concerns over the role he can play in the remainder of the match, as well as in next week’s clash at Headingley.

Harry Brook rode his luck on his way to a dicey 45 not out, but captain Ben Stokes restored an element of calm with a responsible 17no from 57 balls at the close.

Australia started the day 339 for five, with England eager to respond to a performance that was labelled “absolutely shambolic” by Kevin Pietersen and improve on bowling branded “utter dross” by Michael Vaughan.

And while they were unable to prevent Steve Smith turning his overnight score of 85 into a 12th Ashes century, second only to the great Donald Bradman, they would have been more than happy with their efforts.

James Anderson and Stuart Broad had sent down 33 wicketless overs between them on the first day but picked up one apiece in a rousing opening burst that set the tone for an England comeback.

Broad jagged back in sharply off the pitch to pin Alex Carey lbw in his first over of the morning and Anderson following by snapping up Mitchell Starc’s outside edge.

Smith brought up his latest hundred with a majestic cover drive but when he slashed Josh Tongue to Duckett in the gully for 110, Ollie Robinson picked up the last two wickets in short order.

Duckett and Zak Crawley survived four awkward overs before lunch and proceeded to share a buoyant stand of 91 – England’s best against Australia since January 2011.

Crawley was in particularly pleasing touch, but gifted Lyon his wicket on 48 when he raced down the pitch and was well stumped by Carey.

Duckett continued his unconventional habit of steadfastly refusing to leave anything, but was able to score quickly and safely against a pedigree attack.

Alongside Pope, who eased concerns over his shoulder injury by emerging at number three, Duckett added a further 96 as the pace and hostility of the Australian quicks failed to affect his steady rhythm.

Duckett’s interest in feeling bat on ball helped, scoring handily from square drives and cuts that could have been left and sweeping with enough confidence to rotate the strike off Lyon. Starc and Hazlewood both leaked runs at an alarming rate, with the pair both seeing their economy peak at more than seven-an-over.

Duckett reached 50 with a clean punch off the pads and was past 80 before the bouncers started to fly in.

He top-edged one over the wicketkeeper on 84 and almost picked out fine leg on 86. It was at that moment that Lyon hobbled off in anguish and leaving his side a bowler light.

Pope was going well at 42 when he succumbed, stepping inside the line and toe-ending Cameron Green to the waiting Smith. Green thought he had key man Joe Root in the same over, only for a no-ball to cut celebrations short.

England continued the high-risk strategy of pulling and hooking with catchers in the deep and it came at a cost as Duckett shovelled Hazlewood to fine-leg to shatter his dreams of a century.

Root followed with a careless swipe at Starc, failing to cash in on his reprieve as he departed for 10.

Brook played some remarkable shots as he kept the aggression up, twice slashing airily past mid-on and almost losing his leg stump as he stepped away to swing at Green.

But Stokes settled his side in mature fashion as they ended 138 behind with six wickets in hand.

West Indies legend Chris Gayle has said that West Indies' situation in the Cricket World Cup Qualifiers is quite upsetting and that he will be disappointed if they do not play the World Cup in India.

The World Cup is set to be played in India in the months of October and November.

The Caribbean side, who did not make it to the ODI World Cup via direct qualification (top 8 teams) are struggling to cope in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe and are on the brink of getting knocked out from the race.

Captained by Shai Hope, Windies faltered and lost to Zimbabwe and Netherlands in back to back matches that has almost assured their exit from the race.

"It is upsetting. I have been a part of Qualifiers before. Sad to be in such a situation. Things have not gone our way going into the Super Six. It is going to be tough. I will be very, very disappointed not seeing the West Indies in the World Cup here in India," Gayle told Press Trust India (PTI) in an interview.

West Indies head coach, Darren Sammy, lashed out at the side after their losses to Zimbabwe and Netherlands and said that it was the true reflection of the level the team are playing their cricket on.

Against Zimbabwe, Windies failed to chase down a below-par total, while against the Netherlands they failed to defend 374 runs and lost via a Super Over, courtesy of a once-in-a-lifetime performance of all-rounder Logan van Beek.

Gayle was also asked about his retirement, to which the 43-year-old replied that he was supposed to get a farewell game.

"I don't think there will be any international cricket from my point of view. After the World Cup (in 2021), I was supposed to have a farewell game. It did not happen. We have a new president in place, so I don't see it happening. But I have not made an announcement as yet. I am still active but won't be playing so often," Gayle concluded.

England fought back with bat and ball on day two at Lord’s to haul themselves back into the second Ashes Test.

The opening day at the home of cricket was arguably their flattest in over a year of Ben Stokes’ captaincy, with former skippers Kevin Pietersen and Michael Vaughan branding their efforts “absolutely shambolic” and “utter dross” respectively.

But they rallied impressively with the game on the line, as a much-improved seam attack shared five wickets for 77 to dismiss Australia for 416.

They could not prevent their old nemesis Steve Smith (110) from bringing up his 12th Ashes century, second only to the great Donald Bradman, but would have been relieved not to concede more from 316 for three on the first evening.

Ben Duckett’s unbeaten 62 led an encouraging response of 145 for one, with Ollie Pope reaching 32no despite concerns over the number three’s right shoulder injury.

Duckett had earlier shared a stand of 91 with Zak Crawley (48), England’s best opening partnership against Australia since January 2011.

One of the men involved that day, Sir Andrew Strauss, was in attendance as he led the annual ‘Red for Ruth’ day, raising over £270,000 in the process.

Starting with Australia in a strong position at 339 for five, England tossed the ball to their two oldest stagers, James Anderson and Stuart Broad. The pair sent down 33 wicketless overs between them on Wednesday but made good on Stokes’ faith.

Broad’s first two balls of the morning disappeared for four but he ended the over with a beauty, jagging one back into Alex Carey and flicking the front pad in front of the stumps. England need DRS to change umpire Ahsan Raza’s mind, but the end result was exactly what they needed.

Anderson picked up the baton at the Nursery End, angling the ball towards the cordon and drawing a thick edge from the newly arrived Mitchell Starc. Jonny Bairstow, 24 hours on from his starring role as a makeshift bouncer in the Just Stop Oil protest, leapt in front of first slip and held the catch.

Smith was watching calmly from the other end, making his way to 99 before lashing a cover drive to the ropes to bring up his latest Ashes ton. It was an excellently judged innings, but England had the bit between their teeth and wrapped things up with admirable efficiency.

Josh Tongue, who dismissed Smith for Worcestershire earlier in the season, had the centurion well caught in the gully by Duckett as he swung hard and lost his balance and Ollie Robinson then swept up Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood in successive overs.

That left England with four overs to bat before lunch and neither Duckett nor Crawley erred.

The Kent man seized the initiative in the afternoon, breezing to 48 at better than a run-a-ball. He drove crisply with the full face of the bat and used his long strides to punish anything over-pitched.

Duckett continued his habit of refusing to leave anything, but looked in control of both attack and defence. The duo hit 75 runs in 13 overs before drinks, only for Crawley to gift his wicket after the short break.

He became the fourth English batter in three innings to be stumped dancing down the track at Lyon, with Carey collecting sharply down leg and whipping off the bails.

Pope emerged from the pavilion, easing the worst fears over his shoulder, and kept the tempo high as he and Duckett backed their positive instincts.

Hazlewood and Starc both went at more than seven-an-over as the ball travelled around the park, with the left-armer crunched through mid-wicket to bring up Duckett’s half-century in style.

England rallied with the ball on the second morning of the second Ashes Test, bowling out Australia for 416 to stay alive at Lord’s.

The home side’s day one efforts drew stinging criticism from a host of notable players, with Kevin Pietersen branding them “absolutely shambolic” and Michael Vaughan labelling some of their bowling “utter dross”.

But they bounced back impressively to take five wickets for 77 runs in the opening session and deny their rivals the mammoth total they had looked on course for at 316 for three midway through the previous evening.

Steve Smith converted his overnight 85 into a knock of 110, his 12th Ashes century and an eighth behind enemy lines, but he could not halt a much improved English effort.

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett then safely negotiated four overs before lunch to reach 13 for nought and begin the job of chipping away at the scoreboard.

In need of a big response, England tossed the ball to their two oldest stagers, James Anderson and Stuart Broad. The pair sent down 33 wicketless overs between them on Wednesday but made good on their captain’s show of faith as they made early inroads.

Broad’s first two balls of the morning disappeared for four but he ended the over with a beauty, jagging back into Alex Carey and flicking the front pad on its way over middle stump. England need DRS to change umpire Ahsan Raza’s mind, but the end result was exactly what they needed.

Anderson picked up the baton at the Nursery End, angling the ball towards the cordon and drawing a thick edge from the newly arrived Mitchell Starc. Jonny Bairstow, 24 hours on from his starring role as a bouncer in the Just Stop Oil protest, leapt in front of first slip and held the catch.

Smith was watching calmly from the other end, making his way to 99 before lashing a cover drive to the ropes to bring up his latest Ashes ton. It was an excellently judged innings, but England had the bit between their teeth now and wrapped things up with admirable efficiency.

Josh Tongue, who dismissed Smith for Worcestershire earlier in the season, had the centurion well caught in the gully by Duckett as he swung hard and lost his balance. Ollie Robinson then swept up Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood in successive overs.

Starc and Pat Cummins had two overs each to land a blow in return, but England’s top order pair reached the break without offering a chance.

England will eye early wickets on day two of the second Ashes Test after Steve Smith helped Australia make a strong start in their quest to move 2-0 up in the series.

Smith was unbeaten on 85 at the end of the first day at Lord’s with Australia able to close on 339 for five, a score which would have been even better had Joe Root not struck twice late on with his part-time spin.

David Warner and Travis Head contributed half-centuries as England disappointingly failed to make the most of winning the toss and bowling on a green-tinged wicket under cloudy skies in the capital.

Only Ashes debutant Josh Tongue, who claimed two for 88, was able to make a significant impact out of the hosts’ all-seam attack but captain Ben Stokes will hope that can change on the second morning despite the threat of rain.

View from the dressing roomPope’s on ice

England have work to do before they can think about batting at the home of cricket, but they do have concerns over the fitness of Ollie Pope.

Vice-captain Pope injured his right shoulder while fielding soon after lunch and did not return to the field.

It has heightened fears he will not be able to bat during the rest of the Test.

The Surrey batter spent most of day one being treated with ice, but if fit he can bat in his usual number three slot and will not incur any penalty time for being off the field of play due to this being an impact injury.

Here’s Jonny!

The second Ashes Test was only six balls old when Just Stop Oil protesters ran on to the field and headed for the Lord’s wicket, but it was Jonny Bairstow who came to the rescue.

England’s wicketkeeper picked up one of the men and carted them over the boundary edge. The other protester, who momentarily attracted the attention of Ben Stokes and Australia’s David Warner, was intercepted by security staff.

Bairstow did have to change his orange-stained whites but his “swift hands” were praised by an official spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. All three protesters were arrested.

Organisers will hope the headlines from day two are just about the cricket.

Sloppy England overstep the mark

Root’s late double scalp helped spare England’s blushes on what had largely been a poor day.

The hosts’ sluggishness started with Root putting down a low catch from Usman Khawaja in the fifth over and while the Australian batter did not cash in, his fellow opener Warner did make the most of a life on 20 – when Pope dropped a sharp chance at third slip – to register a half-century.

Even more eye-catching than those drops were the 12 no-balls Stokes’ side bowled. After 23 no-balls at Edgbaston, it is an area where improvement is required – especially for Robinson, who overstepped on six occasions.

Josh gets Tongues wagging

A crumb of comfort for England was the display of Tongue. After being hit for a few early boundaries, he stuck to his guns and conjured up a superb inswinging delivery to dismiss Khawaja on the stroke of lunch.

Better was to follow in the afternoon session when the Worcestershire seamer produced a brilliant over of Ashes cricket.

With Warner at the crease, Tongue had the aggressive Aussie tied up in knots with no answer to both the inswinger or outswinger.

It was a wonderful delivery that jagged back in and went through Warner’s defence that did for the opener, with the ball clipping his leg-stump.

Red for Ruth Day

Rivalries will be put to one side on Thursday for the Ruth Strauss Foundation with both England and Australia players joining fans and pundits in turning Lord’s into a sea of red.

Former England captain Sir Andrew Strauss set up the charity in memory of his late wife Ruth, who died in 2018 from a non-smoking lung cancer.

The foundation supports thousands of families as they deal with the impact of terminal cancer diagnosis and day two will aim to raise more funds and awareness.

Rain forced a no-result in the second One-Day International between West Indies Women and Ireland Women at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia, on Wednesday.

During the short period of action that was possible in the match reduce to 20 overs per side, West Indies bowlers, were spot on with fast bowlers Shamilia Connell and Aaliyah Alleyne, both grabbing four wickets in quick succession, leaving the Irish reeling at 36 for five after eight overs, before the weather interrupted.

Alleyne had 2-4 off two overs, while Connell bagged 2-14, off her two.

West Indies lead the three-match series 1-0 after winning the first game by 56 runs.

Kevin Pietersen accused England of an “absolutely shambolic” opening day at Lord’s after Australia’s batters took control of the second Ashes Test.

Pietersen, who was given the honour of ringing the bell before the start of play, offered a stinging assessment of England’s efforts with the ball after the tourists reached the close on 339 for five.

Only two late wickets in four balls from part-time spinner Joe Root prevented the end-of-play scorecard looking even worse, Travis Head and Cameron Green both falling to unforced errors.

A scattering of live green grass and overhead clouds that were gloomy enough to warrant floodlights throughout the day appeared to hint at ideal conditions for England’s five-strong seam attack, but it was the tourists who dictated the tone as half-centuries from David Warner (66), Travis Head (77) and Steve Smith (85no) left them well placed.

“Not a lot’s caught my eye from an English perspective, it’s been shambolic. Absolutely shambolic,” the 104-cap veteran told Sky Sports.

“You have overhead conditions, you have wickets that suit your bowlers and you’ve got bowlers running in at 78, 79, 80 miles an hour.

“Now it’s one thing walking here, swanning around, saying ‘this is a wonderful team to play in, we’re creating the best environment’. But this is not Ashes cricket.”

Pietersen also took issue with an apparent lack of edge on the field – just a week on from Australian criticism over Ollie Robinson’s expletive-filled send-off of Usman Khawaja at Edgbaston.

“It’s all too easy, too nice. Are you telling me Ricky Ponting in 2005 is going to be talking to Geraint Jones? You think Michael Vaughan is going to be stood next to Justin Langer saying ‘hey mate, what a cool day, it’s overcast, it’s beautiful, what an awesome day, environment here at Lord’s – what do you think of the wicket’?

“Are you joking? Are you absolutely joking? I just hope they’re in their dressing room now and the England coach is giving them the biggest hammering and saying it’s absolutely not good enough.”

Josh Tongue was the pick of the five English quicks on his first Ashes outing, topping the pace charts and snapping up the wickets of Khawaja and David Warner either side of the lunch break.

The 25-year-old saw his first three overs smacked for 24 but revealed a word of advice from Ollie Robinson about utilising the famous Lord’s slope helped him open his account against Australia.

“I spoke to Robbo just before lunch about trying to use the slope a bit more,” said Tongue.

“I was trying to wobble it away from the bat and he said ‘why don’t you try and get the ball coming back into him’. Getting Khawaja just before lunch was crucial and then, obviously, I was trying to do the same to David.

“He’s a very hard batter to bowl at. If you miss your length you’re going to the boundary, that’s how I felt, so the wicket came at a very good time for the team.”

Invited to rate the Warner dismissal, which skidded between bat and pad and lifted the bails with precision to cap an outstanding over, Tongue added: “I haven’t properly looked back yet, but listening to the lads it was a very good ball.”

Warner opted to shine a light on Head’s performance after the latter hit 14 boundaries to pile the pressure on England in the evening session.

“Trav is Trav, that’s the way he plays,” he said.

“It’s exciting and we’re just lucky he’s on our team. He can take it away from you. Striking at over a hundred is exceptional. He just finds a way.”

County Championship holders Surrey suffered their first home defeat in 19 first-class matches as Lancashire completed a 123-run victory in just 45 minutes on day four at the Kia Oval.

Will Williams picked up four for 13 in just 4.3 overs on the final morning as Surrey were routed for 84, while Tom Bailey finished with five for 48.

The pair took only 9.3 overs to claim Surrey’s last five second-innings wickets to end a run of first-class games at the Oval in which the Division One leaders have won 12 and drawn the other six.

Kent’s spinners finally overcame a late flourish from the Northamptonshire tail to wrap up an innings victory at Wantage Road and climb to eighth in the table.

Joe Denly claimed four wickets and Hamid Qadri three as the home side were bowled out for 369 despite an entertaining ninth-wicket stand of 70 between Ben Sanderson and Jack White.

In Division Two, a magnificent unbeaten century by Peter Handscomb led a successful rearguard action as Leicestershire secured a draw with leaders Durham.

The Australian wicketkeeper-batter finished on 136 not out before bad light ended the contest with the visitors two wickets away from victory with 10 overs left in the match.

Leicestershire, who moved up to second, ended the match on 259 for eight chasing 439, with Durham having earlier declared at 343 for four after Alex Lees (145) and David Bedingham (145 not out) had shared a 243-run stand for the third wicket.

Sussex’s last-wicket pairing of Oli Carter and Henry Shipley survived over 20 overs to frustrate Glamorgan and eke out a draw in Cardiff.

The visitors finished on 273 for nine, 85 runs behind, with Carter on 55 not out after being dropped from two difficult chances, and number 11 Shipley unbeaten on eight.

Worcestershire centurion Gareth Roderick and Ed Pollock batted through sizeable chunks of the final day to thwart Derbyshire’s push for their first victory of the campaign.

Roderick battled away for five-and-a-quarter hours to make 123, while Pollock played a knock based on determined defence to register 56 off 189 balls spanning nearly four hours.

Their efforts were largely responsible for defying the Derbyshire attack as only four wickets fell in the entire day, which started with the hosts resuming on 70 for two needing another 271 just to make their opponents bat again.

Gloucestershire all-rounder Ollie Price completed an excellent maiden first-team century during an otherwise low-key final day at Headingley as their clash with Yorkshire finished in a draw.

Price moved from 97 not out overnight to reach three figures in the day’s first over as the visitors were bowled out for 464 in reply to a first-innings 550 for nine.

He was last man out for 113 off 162 balls to loanee left-arm spinner Dan Moriarty, who finished with five for 139 on his Yorkshire debut.

The home side started their second innings with a lead of 86 and reached 200 for six in the 48th over when rain stopped play at 4.30pm.

England bowled themselves into trouble on day one of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, before two wickets in an over from part-timer Joe Root offered a late morale boost.

Desperate to produce a statement of intent after their tense two-wicket defeat at Edgbaston, the hosts failed to make the most of Ben Stokes winning the toss in helpful conditions as Australia reached the close on 339 for five.

It could have been much worse for the hosts but Root, asked to carry the spin burden alone due to concerns over Moeen Ali’s injured index finger, halted the tide just as it threatened to carry England away.

Travis Head had clattered 77 at better than a run-a-ball when he was stumped racing down the track at a delivery that started wide and turned even further from the bat, then all-rounder Cameron Green threw his wicket away for a duck in a vain attempt to slog Root down the ground.

Two cheap wickets in four balls did not completely mitigate two-and-a-half sessions of deeply uninspired work from a lethargic seam attack, but it did halt a 122-run stand between Head and Steve Smith that was quickly heading towards game-changing territory.

Smith remains at large on 85 not out and with the chance to bat England out of the match on day two.

Prior to Root’s unexpected intervention, England had relied on rookie seamer Josh Tongue for two of their three wickets as James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson and Stokes himself all toiled without success.

Tongue produced two fine deliveries to clean bowl both openers, Usman Khawaja offering no stroke on the cusp of lunch and David Warner (66) cut in two by a gem, but even he was not exempt from the travails which swamped his team-mates.

The 25-year-old went at 4.88 over the course of the day, with Broad wicketless and Robinson visibly down on pace as he returned one for 86.

Stokes’ three-over cameo cost him 21 and although Anderson kept a lid on the scoring, he was worrying subdued for the third innings in a row.

Stokes could hardly disguise his grin when Pat Cummins called incorrectly at the toss, eagerly sending the tourists in under cloudy skies on a green-tinged pitch.

When the floodlights came on just before the start of play, the scene seemed set for the home attack to have some fun, but the anticipated clatter of wickets failed to materialise.

The game was interrupted after a solitary Anderson over when two Just Stop Oil protesters invaded the pitch brandishing orange paint powder, an incursion that ended with wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow lifting one of the activists off his feet and carrying him off the pitch while Stokes shepherded the other into the arms of security.

Warner and Khawaja did not allow the break to disrupt their concentration, although the latter offered a low half-chance off Broad that Root would have done outstandingly to hold.

The bowling looked laboured at times, with Robinson struggling to crack 80mph, but Broad should have picked up Warner on 20 when Ollie Pope put down a regulation edge at fourth slip, an echo of missed opportunities in the first Test.

Pope spent the latter half of the day off the field receiving ice treatment for a shoulder injury and England will hope their vice-captain’s batting is not affected by the issue.

Warner sought to impose himself, bending the knee to sweep Broad and Robinson and hooking Tongue for six as his first three overs leaked 24 runs. But he showed plenty of character to get his side up and running either side of lunch.

He dismissed Khawaja moments before the break, nipping one down the slope and into the off stump, and saved something even better for Warner after the restart.

He put together a deliciously difficult over to the left-hander and capped it in style with one that speared between bat and pad as it flicked the bails.

That brought Smith and Marnus Labuschagne together, fresh from the pair’s double failure at Lord’s. Smith was busy immediately but Labuschagne was shaky until a sequence of five boundaries from eight legal deliveries warmed him up.

Both were well settled as they took tea at 190 for two, but Robinson finally got himself into the contest in the evening session when he got one to stand up off the seam and take Labuschagne’s outside edge for 47.

England briefly had an opening, but a whirlwind knock from Head closed it emphatically. He laid into a tiring attack with gusto, hitting 14 boundaries as weariness and sloppy fielding began to take a toll.

With Smith showing signs of tunnel vision and a couple of DRS decisions correctly going against England, it took unforced error to lift Stokes’ side.

Root was apparently biding time until the second new ball but found a some bite from the rough and tempted Head into a rash charge.

Bairstow did the rest with a smart take and stumping, before Green hacked his third ball high to mid-off to take some of the shine off a strong day for Australia.