The second Ashes test match being played at the historic Lord’s stadium was gruelling until the second day, but it was all Australia who showed up on the third day. With six sessions left in the match, Australia have this test match in their pockets, and it would take a miraculous effort from the English batters and bowlers to win this one.
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The situation currently stands as this: Australia are leading by 221 runs, and their second innings score is 130-2, with Steve Smith just coming in to bat and Usman Khwaja looking settled for a big one. What can the English men do to try and win this match?
The main problem England has faced in this match is that they have been careless and have not played according to the situation. Playing with a different technique is one thing, whereas playing sensible cricket is another. A team should always play sensible cricket, even if they are following the “Bazball” style of play.
The other big problem is that James Anderson has been out of touch and has not looked like the old Anderson at home. This might be an indication of the future of Anderson, as the England squad has really good fast bowling depth.
England from here on need to change their bowling plans and do something out of the box because, with this Aussie batter on the crease and Travis Head, Cameron Green, and Alex Carey to follow, the lead will reach 400 in no time.
If the bowlers are successful in taking some early and quick wickets and fold this Australian innings within the lead of 330–350 runs, it would be a herculean effort and would give England an outside chance in this match.
England will fancy chasing a target of anything below 350 runs if they bat sensibly, because this is exactly the kind of batting lineup you want in a big chase. They have also done it before, which will give them a lot of confidence as this is not the team that gets defeated so easily.
The weather on day 4 looks promising, with the sun expected to be around Lord’s for the whole day, and this means bowlers will have to toil hard in batting-friendly conditions.
