Dawid Malan’s series-clinching century against New Zealand pushed him into pole position to open in England’s World Cup defence next month, as question marks continued to linger over Jason Roy.

Roy was once again missing due to back spasms, meaning he has been sidelined for all four games against the Black Caps, and Malan produced a gem of an innings to lay claim to his top-order spot.

He made a superb 127 from 114 balls at his old home ground of Lord’s, steering England to a score of 311 for nine that the tourists never came close to matching.

They succumbed for 211, going down by exactly 100 on the night and 3-1 overall, as Moeen Ali spun his way to figures of four for 50.

It is only a matter of days since Malan was being floated as a potential fall-guy should Harry Brook find himself parachuted into the squad for the tournament in India, but he has picked his moment expertly, following knocks of 54 and 96 with his fifth ODI ton.

Now, rather than finding himself squeezed out of the trip entirely, he seems likelier to slide into the first-choice XI.

Roy, England’s long-established opener, was left kicking his heels in the dressing room once more and may now be sweating over his place. He was one of the stars of England’s 2019 triumph but his fitness issues have emerged at the worst possible time as the final squad announcement nears.

Captain Jos Buttler, who admitted at the toss that Roy is frustrated by his struggles, suggested England could add the Surrey man to a second-string side that faces Ireland next week in a bid to get him up and running.

His absence opened the door for Malan and he played his part impeccably, scoring 14 boundaries and three sixes as he occupied the crease for 40 overs with a combination of touch and timing that eluded his team-mates. When he finally departed, reaching for a cut and nicking Rachin Ravindra, it was an ill-fitting end.

By then he had eased past 1,000 ODI runs in his 21st appearance – claiming a share of Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott’s joint record. With an average of 61.52 and a strike-rate of 96.52, he has a formidable track record by any reckoning.

England rested Ben Stokes after the exertions of his record-breaking 182 on Wednesday evening but Brook was unable to make a go of his chance at number four, allowing Roy some respite.

Brook was dismissed for 10 when he hit a Ravindra drag down straight to mid-on and, with 37 from his three outings this series, has failed to amplify his case. Joe Root’s struggle for rhythm also continued, twice dropped in single figures before losing his stump for 29 aiming a slog sweep at Ravindra, who finished with four for 60.

Tim Southee paid a heavy price for his handling error in the 14th over, leaving the field for X-rays which revealed a fractured and dislocated right thumb. Like Roy, his World Cup place now hangs in the air.

Buttler was the best of the rest for England, chipping in a lively 36, before New Zealand took five for 68 in a busy final 10.

Just 48 hours earlier New Zealand had fallen short by a massive margin of 181 batting second and would have been eager to show greater resolve this time.

England, though, refused to let them into the game. Buttler took care of the dangerous Devon Conway in the fifth over, flinging off his right glove and running the opener out with an opportunistic effort behind the stumps, then held on to Will Young as David Willey found an outside.

Having failed to bring the required power to the powerplay, and with news of Southee’s fractured thumb emerging, an air of resignation appeared to take hold. Twice in a row a Buttler bowling change paid off in the first over, Brydon Carse firing one into Daryl Mitchell’s off stump with a nipping delivery approaching 90mph and Moeen darting an off-break down the slope and right through Tom Latham.

At 88 for four, and with two injured tailenders, it looked like game over. Ravindra completed a productive evening in north London by smashing 61 from number seven, but by then Moeen had already done enough.

He had Henry Nicholls lbw thanks to Buttler’s insistence on calling for DRS, then picked off Kyle Jamieson and Matt Henry with successive deliveries. Ben Lister defied a hamstring strain to block the hat-trick before Sam Curran ended Ravindra’s spree with a yorker.

An all-round performance from Sunil Narine propelled the Oval Invincibles to a three-wicket win over the London Spirit in their Hundred fixture at Lord’s on Wednesday.

First, Narine starred with the ball after his Invincibles won the toss and elected to field first.

In his 20 balls, Narine took 2-14 to help restrict the Spirit to 131 from their 100 balls.

Adam Rossington led the way for the Spirit with 39 while Matthew Wade hit 37.

The Invincibles then reached 132-7 with only one ball to spare. Sam Curran hit 34 while Captain Sam Billings made 25.

Narine hit 13 from five balls including the winning runs. Daniel Worrall, Jordan Thompson and Nathan Ellis all took two wickets, each, for the Spirit.

Australia great Glenn McGrath stirred up an Ashes controversy at Lord’s, branding the umpires’ decision to reprieve England opener Ben Duckett late on the fourth evening “a disgrace”.

Duckett was on his way back to the pavilion for 50 after Mitchell Starc held on to a mis-hit uppercut at fine-leg, apparently leaving England in dire trouble at 113 for five chasing a distant 371.

But he was called back after TV umpire Marais Erasmus reviewed the footage and ruled that the ball was not under Starc’s control before he slid it along the outfield.

Duckett appeared uncertain about his own fate, shrugging his shoulders before resuming his innings as he and Ben Stokes reached stumps a few moments later on 114 for four. The issue may not have a bearing on the result, with England still needing another 257, but Duckett’s slice of fortune and Stokes’ presence mean it cannot be ruled out.

Marylebone Cricket Club, owners of Lord’s and custodians of the laws of the game, tweeted to support the on-field decision but McGrath was incandescent during a commentary stint on BBC’s Test Match Special even suggesting the home side had been given preferential treatment.

“That is a disgrace. That is ridiculous, I cannot believe it,” he said.

“I’ve seen everything this game has to offer, if that is not out, then every other catch that has ever been taken should not be out. That’s a regulation catch.

“That’s the biggest load of rubbish I have ever seen. He has the ball under control. If I was (Australia captain) Pat Cummins, I would be popping up and seeing the match referee. I am sorry that is out, I don’t care who you are playing for. If that’s England taking that catch, that’s out.”

The view from within the Australia dressing room was considerably milder, with Nathan Lyon offering a non-committal assessment.

Lyon had earlier made a remarkable cameo, ditching the crutches he has been using since tearing his calf on the second evening to make an unexpected and painful appearance at number 11.

“Emotions would be high but obviously there is a ruling in the cricket world with the umpires that you have to complete the catch,” he said.

“In my opinion….no, I’m not going to give you my opinion because it doesn’t matter.”

England’s assistant coach Marcus Trescothick was happy to leave the call to the match officials.

“Trust the process, the umpires make the decision so let’s sit back and trust in what they call,” he said.

“It’s probably the same sort of situation with VAR in football, which we all know is a difficult one. When you put the technology on and see the ball sliding along the floor, that’s when you start to question it. From what’s been said by umpires, you’ve got to have control of the ball and your body until the motion is finished.”

England will undoubtedly need a special performance to find a route to victory, but Trescothick took heart from the fact that Stokes remained in play.

The all-rounder has seen his country out of several outrageously tight spots over the years, in the 2019 Ashes at Headingley as well as two World Cup finals in two different formats, and looked in determined mood when he sent down 12 consecutive overs during the Australian innings.

“You see that from Ben often, he is the master of bowling big, long spells and really grabbing the game,” he said.

“He’s showing to the opposition, to himself, to his team-mates, to the public, this is what he’s all about. Whenever he is ready to go, when he’s up for a fight, he’s in the contest and it’s great to have someone like that in your team.

“Everybody around the world is wary of him when he’s in that frame of mind.”

A dejected Nathan Lyon admitted he had been in tears about his likely series-ending calf injury but was proud to play one final part in the second Ashes Test after a gutsy cameo with the bat on day four.

Lyon sustained a significant calf tear on the second day and has been on crutches since, but defied the pain to walk out as last man during Australia’s second innings on Saturday afternoon.

Australia’s frontline spinner limped on to a standing ovation and bravely batted for 25 minutes in a 13-ball innings of four that saw the tourists move on from 264 for nine to 279 all out, which set England 371 to win.

“I have been absolutely shattered, I have been in tears, upset and I have been hurting, but this team means everything for me,” Lyon reflected after England closed on 114 for four, still requiring 257 runs for a series-levelling victory.

“Yes, I have been having conversations since it happened with our medical team and I knew the risk. But the way I look at it, I will do anything for this team and you never know how big a 15-run partnership can be in an Ashes series.

“So, yes I am proud of myself for going out there and doing that.

“If it was tomorrow, I would do it again and again and again because I love this team, I love playing for Australia.”

Lyon was on crutches at the start of day four but in an extraordinary sequence of events in the afternoon session, he started to make his way through the pavilion down to the pitch when Pat Cummins was out to leave the tourists on 261 for eight in the 96th over.

With the 35-year-old in major discomfort every time he walked, Lyon hopped down the stairs and waited in the long room at Lord’s until Josh Hazlewood’s dismissal brought him to the crease.

Before his courageous innings, Lyon encountered England veteran James Anderson, who was off the field at the time.

Lyon added: “I have played against Jimmy for a long period of time now and I have a lot of respect for him. He asked, ‘Am I stupid? And I said, ‘Yes, but I may have to do a you and go to 40.’

“He said, ‘if you keep loving the game and keep trying to get better there is no reason why you can’t,’ so that was a nice little moment with Jimmy.

“Regarding batting, I had to go down to the long room and wait because I would have been timed out otherwise. The lifts here are pretty slow so I had to go down the stairs, I didn’t know how long Josh would hang in there for.

“It was interesting being in the long room, rather than being in the pavilion. It felt like I was in the zoo. A lot of eyes on me, watching what I was doing, what we were saying but I will do anything for this team.”

Ahead of his surprise cameo, speculation had started about whether Lyon would pad up and to what benefit.

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen was not alone among broadcast pundits in suggesting that Lyon taking a blow to the helmet may benefit Australia if it allowed them to bring in Todd Murphy as a concussion substitute.

Pietersen described the scenario as “food for thought” on Sky Sports, but Lyon was deeply unimpressed by the suggestion.

Lyon’s friend and team-mate Phil Hughes died in 2014 after being hit by a bouncer in the neck and the spinner vehemently shut down the notion.

He said: “I have heard comments that people thought I went out there to get hit on the head and I am really against that.

“I lost one of my mates due to being hit in the head so I think that is a really poor excuse or conversation to be had.”

While Lyon would not confirm his Ashes was over, he backed reserve spinner Murphy, 22, to leave his mark on the tour.

Australia’s chief spinner Lyon, who was playing his 100th consecutive Test, will have a meeting with the team’s medical staff on Sunday over the best course of action for his rehabilitation.

“This is just a little speed bump in the road, this is not career-defining or anything like that,” Lyon stated.

“I am sitting down with our medical team tomorrow and we will have a chat. Right now, it is pretty shattering, pretty gutting and I am pretty speechless if I am honest.”

Under-pressure England desperately need to land some blows on the fourth morning of the second Ashes Test following a dispiriting third day at Lord’s.

Rain spared Ben Stokes’ side of any further punishment when it arrived at 5.10pm on Friday with Australia on 130 for two, a lead of 221 runs.

England had been skittled for 325 in the morning session after they resumed on 278 for four with Harry Brook and Ben Stokes unable to live with a terrific opening spell from Mitchell Starc, who finished with three for 88.

Usman Khawaja then continued his rich vein of form with 58 not out at the top of the order and will aim to move Australia’s lead into uncharted territory alongside first innings centurion Steve Smith on day four.

View from the dressing roomNo Lyon, no problem!

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When Nathan Lyon arrived at Lord’s on crutches for day three, England’s eyes should have lit up but the absence of Australia’s frontline spinner with a “significant” calf strain only contributed towards the hosts being skittled out in 14 overs.

Australia captain Pat Cummins stuck with the short-pitched plan that worked against England’s aggression in the evening session on day two and played his part in sending Brook and Jonny Bairstow back to the pavilion.

With the tail blow away in quick time thanks to more bumpers, after Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Joe Root had got out in similar fashion on day two, England can expect more short-pitched bowling in their second innings.

Broad blow least of his worries

Stuart Broad took a nasty blow to his jaw in the morning session from a Josh Hazlewood bouncer, but after a concussion check was able to carry on. While slightly shaken, Broad was more unhappy after tea when his loud appeal for lbw against Marnus Labuschagne fell on deaf ears.

Broad’s belief that the Australian was out saw him barely appeal and even though he was left flabbergasted by the not out decision, he was even more perplexed at captain Stokes’ decision to not review.

It proved a poor call by Stokes because after the next delivery Broad looked up at the TV screens inside the ground and saw ball tracker show his ball would have hit leg stump. It capped a frustrating day for England even if Labuschagne was out 14 runs later.

Marathon man eyes record

Labuschagne may not be at the crease, but Khawaja is and could have an Ashes record in his sights after a marathon knock at Edgbaston.

After reaching the end of day three on 58 not out from 123 balls, Khawaja has taken the total number of deliveries he has faced in the Ashes onto 711. The record after the opening two matches of the series is Bill Brown’s tally of 999 balls faced back in the 1938 series.

Bettering that looks unlikely, but Khawaja will certainly fancy his chances after he fronted up to 321 in the first innings in Birmingham.

Starc, Stokes, gone!

Stokes looked to have played the perfect captain’s knock on day two, digging in for 57 balls after England’s mini-wobble to ensure he was there for the third morning, but he lasted one ball on Friday and it set the tone.

In fairness, Stokes could do little to a beauty from Starc, who squared up the England captain and found the outside edge with Cameron Green doing the rest in the slip corden.

Stokes would have cursed his luck and England’s day never got any better with a poor batting display followed up by another wicketless new ball period. Josh Tongue did make the much-needed breakthrough and Broad bowled impressively, but with Australia holding a 221-run lead with eight wickets in hand, the odds are stacked against the hosts.

Angeball meet Bazball

New Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou spent his final day before his work officially begins with the Premier League club by taking in some Ashes cricket at Lord’s. It would have been intriguing to know what the one-time Melbourne native made of the day’s play.

Ex-Australia manager Postecoglou has developed a strong reputation in football with a bold and aggressive style of play that has won many trophies, but does not differ much from what England are trying to achieve under Stokes and Brendon McCullum with their famed ‘Bazball’ approach.

Perhaps Postecoglou would feel more at home playing for the hosts than the more pragmatic tourists. Nevertheless, he starts work at Tottenham on Saturday and no doubt the Ashes will be on the training ground TVs.

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.

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.”

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.

Rookie seamer Josh Tongue struck twice in his first Ashes appearance, but the rest of the England attack drew a blank as Australia took control on day one of the second Test at Lord’s.

Tongue justified his return to the side as he bowled with pace and purpose at the home of cricket, clipping Usman Khawaja’s bails as he left the ball on the stroke of lunch and later ramming one through David Warner’s defences to remove him for 66.

But they were isolated moments of joy for the home side, who asked Australia to bat in awkward conditions only to see them post 190 for two at tea.

Steve Smith (38no) and Marnus Labuschagne (45no) were both ominously set at the break, having contributed just 35 in four innings in their side’s series-opening victory at Edgbaston.

Ben Stokes could hardly hide his grin after winning the toss, eagerly choosing to bowl on a pitch with a light covering of live grass and under thick grey clouds. When the floodlights came on just before the start of play, it seemed perfect bowling conditions for England’s five-man pace attack.

The game was interrupted after a solitary 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 Stuart Broad in the hint of an early strike for England.

The bowling looked laboured at times, with Ollie 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.

Having survived the initial skirmishes, Warner sought to impose himself, bending the knee to sweep both Broad and Robinson.

Tongue took five wickets against Ireland on Test debut earlier this month but appeared to suffer some early stage fright as his first three overs were taken for 24 – including a hooked six from Warner.

But he rallied to give England a badly-needed success in the final over of the morning. Khawaja, player of the match last time out, offered no shot to one that came in down the slope and paid with his wicket to leave Australia 73 for one.

Tongue went one better in his first spell of the afternoon, bowling a deliciously difficult over to Warner before spearing one between bat and pad as the batter was cut in two.

England would have sensed an opportunity with Smith and Labuschagne both new to the crease, but the former began busily to reverse the pressure with some confident shots.

Labuschagne was shakier to start but a sequence of five boundaries from eight legal deliveries off Broad and Stokes set him up nicely.

Broad had both men in trouble amid a flurry of run-scoring, but a caught behind off Smith and an lbw against Labuschagne both went against England on DRS.

Jonny Bairstow carried a Just Stop Oil protester off the Lord’s pitch after the activist group targeted the first morning of the second Ashes Test.

The England wicketkeeper took matters into his own hands when two men ran on to the field armed with orange paint dust in a clear attempt to halt the match.

Bairstow, a keen rugby league player in his younger days, ran to meet one of the protesters and lifted them off their feet before carting them over the boundary edge.

Having handed them over to the stewards, he headed to the pavilion to change his whites, but his quick thinking may well have prevented a much lengthier delay to proceedings had the paint made it as far as the wicket.

The other protester, who attracted the attention of England captain Ben Stokes, was intercepted by security staff, while another was apprehended in the stands. All three were arrested.

Speaking on BBC’s Test Match Special, commentator Jonathan Agnew said: “Jonny Bairstow’s dander was up there, he was like a flanker. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen again, let’s hope that’s the one attack on the Ashes this year.”

Broadcasters largely chose not to highlight the incident, but former Australia captain Ricky Ponting offered one cheeky reference following a wicketless start to the morning.

“I didn’t want to say anything, but the one chance that’s come Jonny’s way, he’s held on to so far,” Ponting joked on Sky Sports.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said on Twitter: “We are aware of protesters on the Lord’s Cricket Ground pitch today, Wednesday, 28 June. Police have arrested three people and taken them into custody.”

Guy Lavender, chief executive of the Marylebone Cricket Club, which owns Lord’s, criticised those involved.

He said: “MCC condemn in the strongest possible terms today’s pitch incursion and with the behaviour of the protesters involved.

“Their actions not only endanger themselves and those who work at the ground, but they have consistently shown complete disregard for the people who pay to attend events, not just here at Lord’s but around the country at other sporting venues.”

Just Stop Oil said on Twitter: “At 11am, three Just Stop Oil supporters stormed the pitch at Lord’s Cricket Ground in a cloud of orange powder paint and disrupted the #Ashes2023 Second Test between England and Australia.”

Just Stop Oil protesters previously delayed England’s arrival for day one of their one-off Test against Ireland on June 1 by standing in front of their team coach outside their Kensington hotel.

It was Bairstow who highlighted the incident at the time by posting a picture of it on his Instagram story.

Just Stop Oil protesters were able to disrupt the Gallagher Premiership final at Twickenham between Saracens and Sale last month. Two men wearing Just Stop Oil T-shirts invaded the pitch midway through the first half and threw orange paint powder on to the field before being removed.

A similar incident occurred at the Crucible during the World Snooker Championship in April.

Just Stop Oil protesters stopped the second Ashes Test with England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow forced to take matters into his own hands.

Ahead of the second over of the morning session at Lord’s, two Just Stop Oil protesters raced onto the pitch.

Bairstow immediately took matters into his own hands by picking up one of the protesters and carrying them off the pitch.

The other Just Stop Oil protester was thwarted by security staff before being taken away from the grounds.

Bairstow had to briefly leave the field to change his top, after it was covered in orange powder, before returning ahead of Broad starting his spell from the Nursery End.

Sir Andrew Strauss hopes turning Lord’s ‘Red for Ruth’ during this week’s Ashes Test can help his charity support thousands more families as they deal with the impact of a terminal cancer diagnosis.

The former England captain set up the Ruth Strauss Foundation in memory of his late wife, who died in 2018 from a non-smoking lung cancer, and has worked alongside the cricket community to raise funds and awareness for the past four years.

Day two of England’s second Test against Australia will once again see Lord’s awash in red, with players from both sides joining fans and pundits in marking the occasion in colourful fashion.

The foundation has already been able to achieve some oits aims in providing pre-bereavement counselling for children and partners, training for healthcare professionals and peer-to-peer support networks, but Strauss believes the surface has only just been scratched and sees the elevated platform of this summer’s series as a catalyst.

“We’ve still got a long way to go. The more we do, the more we need to do and the broader our reach needs to be,” he said.

“Hopefully an Ashes Test match is a time where people who aren’t always watching cricket are suddenly tuning in. We understand the opportunity we have in front of us in the next few days.

“We’re excited about having the platform to show that and we’re incredibly lucky to have so much support from the cricket community. But we know people are going through this from all walks of life, some of whom having never heard of cricket or the Ruth Strauss Foundation.

“We’re here to help as many people as possible. We’ve helped hundreds of families and directly trained up hundreds of nurses, but we feel the reach is expanding all the time.

“I can honestly say we’ve got anywhere near where we want to. This still very near to the start of the journey for us. The support we get allows us to turn those hundreds into thousands and those thousands into tens of thousands. This is about scaling up what we can offer.

“There’s 127 children every day losing a parent and we want to be there for the majority of them.”

Strauss is aware that the doors of Lord’s may not be thrown open to him had he not been a decorated former England skipper, but is increasingly determined to use that privileged position for good.

“Without the success I had on the cricket field I wouldn’t have had this platform,” he said.

“I was very proud of what I achieved in an England shirt. That was about me and achieving my goals, but this is about something much greater than me.

“It breaks my heart that every day there are hundreds of kids being put into the situation that my kids were put into. We can’t change that but we can make it a little bit easier.”

http://ruthstraussfoundation.com

Ben Stokes will lead England out at Lord’s this morning, fronting a side in need of an Ashes victory and a sport that has been rocked by more revelations of discrimination.

Stokes faced the media exactly a week on from their nail-biting fifth-day defeat by Australia at Edgbaston, but began his captain’s press conference on Tuesday by addressing the damning report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket.

In his position as men’s Test captain, Stokes took it upon himself to issue an apology to anyone who had been impacted by the entrenched culture of racism, sexism and elitism described in the long-awaited report.

Those above Stokes in the food chain have three months to prepare their response, but, for the next five days, his job lies between the boundary ropes as he seeks to square the series after an enterprising but unsuccessful outing in Birmingham.

England have made one change to their side, recalling rookie seamer Josh Tongue in place of Moeen Ali to leave part-timer Joe Root as the main spin option. Australia have delayed their call, but will be tempted to unleash left-armer Mitchell Starc.

What they said

Stokes followed his apology by outlining his own credentials as a mould-breaking outlier who has risen to the highest rank in the sport.

Crawley’s Chinese lesson

England would be forgiven for counting themselves unfortunate on the fitness front after seeing the likes of Jofra Archer, Olly Stone and Jack Leach ruled out for the series, while Moeen Ali and Mark Wood both miss out at Lord’s due to concerns over their ability to complete a five-day match. But Stokes revealed that Zak Crawley took it upon himself to banish any such thoughts by regaling the squad with an ancient Chinese proverb. Channelling his inner Eric Cantona, Crawley told the parable of a farmer who discovered that the notion of good and bad luck were more closely aligned than many think. Boiling the message down, Stokes concluded: “One thing happens and it might not mean it’s the end of the world.”

Lyon’s landmark

While England have decided to do without a frontline spinner, Australia have selected Nathan Lyon for the 100th Test in a row. He becomes just the sixth man, and first specialist bowler, to bring up a century of consecutive appearances and needs just five more wickets to mark the occasion with his 500th wicket.

Anderson hopes to hit back

England’s record wicket-taker James Anderson was a curiously peripheral figure at Edgbaston, going unused in the decisive final session and returning figures of one for 109 from 38 overs. They were his worst figures for over two years and he later described the pitch as “kryptonite for me”, suggesting similar surfaces could force him out of the series. That means the 40-year-old will be under the spotlight in the next five days. On the up side, he has plenty of history at the home of cricket, with 117 wickets at 24.58 in 27 previous appearances.

All eyes on ‘the mouth from the south’

Ollie Robinson stirred up a hornets’ nest by offering an expletive-heavy send-off to centurion Usman Khawaja at Edgbaston, then having the temerity to stick to his guns. The Sussex seamer has riled Australia greats Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Matthew Hayden, the latter bizarrely accusing him of bowling “124kph nude nuts” and labelling him a “mouth from the south”. Most of their stinging critiques appeared to overlook Robinson’s match haul of five for 98, which kept his Test bowling average at a cool 21.15. Fans in Australia will be desperate to see the 29-year-old fall on his face, but England need him to keep up his outstanding record at the highest level.

England have decided to go with an all-seam attack for the second Ashes Test against Australia, but surprisingly selected Josh Tongue as the fourth seamer.

Moeen Ali, who struggled with a burst blister on his right index finger at Edgbaston, is left out in the only change from the narrow two-wicket defeat in the series opener.

All-rounder Moeen appeared to allay any concerns over his fitness by taking a full part in Monday’s net session, but captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum have chosen to go with four seamers at Lord’s.

Tongue is preferred to the express pace of Mark Wood, who has not played Test cricket since December.

Seamers Chris Woakes and Matthew Potts were also overlooked.

Worcestershire bowler Tongue only made his Test debut against Ireland earlier this month but impressed with a maiden five-wicket haul and relished his chance to be the enforcer with a string of first-innings bouncers on a slow pitch at Lord’s.

England could have picked teenage leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, called up to the squad on Friday, had they wanted to go with another spin option, but have opted for Tongue and will rely on Joe Root’s part-time off-breaks in their efforts to level the series in London.

After losing the first Test at Edgbaston, England will be looking to level the Ashes when the second Test starts at Lord’s on Wednesday.

The Home of Cricket has staged 37 Ashes Test matches since 1884 with Australia holding a fine track record at the ground.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the main moments of Ashes history at Lord’s.

The top prize up for grabs, England and Australia are vying to lift the small urn at the conclusion of the series.

The name “Ashes” was coined when England lost to Australia for the first time on home soil in 1882 and the Sporting Times published an obituary of English cricket, stating: “the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia”.

England captain Hon Ivo Bligh vowed to “return the ashes” while on tour to Australia and was gifted a terracotta urn while away.

Although its contents are debated, the urn is said to contain the ashes of a bail and Bligh kept it until his death in 1927 when it was subsequently donated to the MCC.

The original urn can be seen at the MCC Museum at Lord’s and the winner of the Ashes will lift a replica along with the urn-shaped Waterford Crystal trophy introduced in the 1998-99 series.

The first Ashes Test at Lord’s took place in 1884 when Allan Steele’s 148 put England in the driving seat along with George Ulyett’s seven wickets to earn victory by an innings and five runs.

Another win followed in 1886, but Australia picked up their first success in 1888 after a low-scoring affair saw Charlie Turner shine with the ball and take 10 wickets across the match.

England then earned a six-wicket win in 1896, but it would be their last at Lord’s until 1934.

Clem Hill and Victor Gregory’s contribution of 135 each set Australia up for a 10-wicket win in 1899 and victories swiftly followed in 1909 and 1921.

Australian great Don Bradman then made his mark on English soil in 1930 with an incredible double century of 254, which led to the touring party declaring on 729 for six and easing to a six-wicket win.

Centuries from Les Ames and Maurice Leyland gave England an innings victory in 1934, but Lord’s has certainly since been advantage Australia with the visitors exerting a 75-year period of dominance.

After drawing in 1938, Australia won by 409 runs in 1948 and went on to pick up another eight victories until 2009 when England finally broke their losing run.

Their last win at the ground came in 2015 when a huge double century from Steve Smith in the first innings allowed Australia to set England a target of 509 in the second innings, but they crumbled to 103 all out.

Australia’s overall Test record at the Home of Cricket makes for far better reading with the tourists winning 16 matches compared to England’s six, while 15 draws have taken place between both sides.

Alongside Bradman’s mammoth knock in 1930, Lord’s has thrown up plenty of memorable Ashes moments with most being in Australia’s favour.

Allan Border put on an impressive batting display with a first innings 196 to guide his team to victory in 1985.

Working with Greg Ritchie (94), the pair dragged their side back into the game from 101 for four to 398 for seven by the time the Australian captain was dismissed, setting them on track for a four-wicket win.

Their bowling has also showcased some fine moments and in 1972 Bob Massie produced one of the finest Test match debuts, taking eight for 84 in the first innings and eight for 53 in the second.

His ability to get the ball swinging like no one else saw him finish with match figures of 16 for 137, a record for a Test debutant until bettered by India’s Narendra Hirwani in 1988.

Lord’s is no stranger to impressive bowling spells and Glenn McGrath etched his name into the history books in 1997 with a first innings eight-wicket haul.

On his first tour of England, the seamer ripped through the England batting line-up, reducing them to 77 all out and taking eight for 38.

Although Australia ultimately hold the happier memories at Lord’s, Andrew Strauss’ 161 and Andrew Flintoff’s second innings five-for earned England a first victory at the ground in 75 years in 2009.

Lord’s hosted the second Test of the last Ashes series in 2019, when an intriguing five days boiled down to a draw.

With day one washed out, Rory Burns and Jonny Bairstow made half-centuries on day two, but England were bowled out for 258 with Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon taking three wickets each.

There was plenty of buzz in the build-up to the game with fast bowler Jofra Archer making his Test debut and his sheer speed became one of the talking points when his 92mph bouncer caught Steve Smith on the neck.

The Australian batter fell to the floor and was taken off the field, but returned after passing concussion protocols before being bowled lbw by Chris Woakes with Australia all out for 250.

Smith was subsequently ruled out of the fifth day of the Test with concussion and would go on to miss the Headingley Test, with Marnus Labuschagne brought into the team as the first concussion substitute.

Ben Stokes then smashed an unbeaten 115 as England declared on 258 for five, but despite three wickets each from Archer and Jack Leach, Australia managed to hold on for the draw.