Australia has lost their first wicket on the stroke of lunch after starting the second Ashes Test at the iconic Lord’s in positive fashion.
After Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bowl in cloudy conditions, Usman Khawaja and David Warner almost made it through the entire morning session before Usman Khawaja fell to England fast man Josh Tongue in the over before lunch, Leaving a ball that crashed into his stumps.
Earlier, David Warner raced to his first half-century of the series and in the process, went past his total tally of runs from the 2019 Ashes series. He reached the milestone after hooking Tongue over the square – leg boundary for six in his previous over.
At Lunch, Australia is 1/73 after 23.1 overs with David Warner (53*) out in the middle.
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Both teams confirmed only one change to their starting XI’s from Edgbaston, with fast bowler Josh Tongue replacing spinner Moeen Ali for England while Mitchell Starc replaced Scott Boland for Australia.
After just one over, two ‘Just Stop Oil’ protesters stormed the field bearing orange powder, while another was halted by security staff before reaching the field. England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow carried one of the protesters off the field as ground staff rushed to clean up the mess, requiring a break in play as Bairstow was forced into a change of clothes.
After a testing start from veteran pair James Anderson and Stuart Broad, Australia received a reprieve when Joe Root failed to snare a tough low catch at first slip after Usman Khawaja edged behind in the fifth over while on just one run.
Meanwhile, David Warner showed his attacking intent with a bold scooping sweep off Stuart Broad which had commentators making plenty of Bazball comparisons.
He wasted no time resuming his expansive strokeplay after a brief rain delay when he swept Ollie Robinson to the square-leg boundary not long after the resumption.
Warner was given a life when Ollie Pope dropped a regulation chance at third slip after a thick edge, the second chance to go down in the first session.
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Weather could once again wreak havoc as England attempts to level the series against Australia in the second Ashes Test.
The Aussies stole a two-wicket victory in the first Test at Edgbaston on an incredibly flat wicket that left England great Jimmy Anderson claiming he was “done” for the series if similar wickets were served up.
The Lord’s groundskeepers must have heard Anderson’s prayers, with players from both sides set to be greeted by a green wicket.
With the seamers set to benefit more from that style of pitch than the spinners, England opted to use batter Joe Root as its only spin option in the bowling attack as Josh Tongue was swapped in for Moeen Ali.
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The green top also becomes even more dangerous depending on the weather.
According to the BBC, the forecast for day one does not show any windows of clear skies.
Additionally, rain is expected overnight ahead of day two.
Speaking on Fox Cricket’s Ashes Preview show, former England skipper Michael Vaughan outlined the impact a cloudy day can have on a green wicket at Lord’s.
“Lord’s is all about the overheads,” Vaughan said.
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“If the clouds are around, the ball might move around a bit. A dry week and blue sky, it’ll be pretty flat. You’ve just got to be able to use the slope.
“If it’s flat, I can’t see them (Australia) not getting 600 runs in the Test match.
“If I was England, I’d be trying to make it into a 500-run Test match where the ball’s nipping around and you might get 350 in one innings but you might get them for 150 in the other.”
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