Second Ashes Test. Lord's.

[K]

Athers: "This is the Steve Smith conundrum", as he whips a ball off the stumps.

Nasser: "From nowhere, Broad bowled a big inswinger..."

Athers says Broad told him he thought the ball would do things because the pitch is so dry that the seam will bite into the surface.


BTW, the follow on has been avoided! Yay!

[K]

cricinfo gets nostalgic re. Paine & Smith:

https://twitter.com/ESPNcricinfo/status ... 547588096/

Meanwhile, Woakes has come on.

Smith gets another from the bread-and-butter shot.

Athers thinks the man at extra cover could be brought to the leg side.

Athers: "He is an unusual player. ... You still can bowl one side and still set the field for his strength on the leg side."


Holding disagrees about Atherton's suggested field placement. He wants all the men on the off side. If you bowl it full outside off stump, he cannot hit it on the leg side, he says.

[K]

Lloyd continues with the theme. He tells us Smith has left 39% of deliveries in this innings. His career average is 21%. Lloyd says that's because they have not been bowling full enough.

----------------------------------

Next over, Archer bowls a 76mph knuckle ball and Smith edges it down to the ground in front of slip.
...

Archer goes for variety. It's the attempted leg-stump yorker, but he doesn't get it right.
...

Smith is beaten to end the maiden over.

[K]

Gower's turn to talk about bowling fuller.

Lloyd: "This pitch, back of a length is very easy to play."

Paine inside edges past leg stump for 2.

[Pies4shaw]

From Cricinfo: "Australia in a better position than at Edgbaston, 122 for 5 vs 122 for 8."

[K]

Gower returns to the discussion on length.

A graphic comparing Woakes and Broad.

On cue, a short ball is hammered to the boundary by Paine.

Then a quick single, followed by overthrows... Buttler saves the boundary.

Those 7 runs in two balls might help Paine get going.

[K]

I reckon it's time to check out today's lunch menu...

I don't see anything yet!

But this is a classic catch:

https://twitter.com/HomeOfCricket/statu ... 6937970688

I have to add this to the "blunders and oddities on video" thread.

[Donny]

33 run p'ship from Smith & Paine. Significant.

Oz 5/135.

[K]

And it's time for Leach!

Bowling from the Nusery End with the slope.

"About time, I think," says Sangakkara.

He starts with a maiden.

[K]

A short ball from Stokes is handled a bit uncomfortably by Smith, who takes his bottom hand off the bat.

---------------------------

Next over, a misfield gives Smith 3 and gets him away from Leach.

[K]

The Lord's social-media account has the Bancroft catch as gif:

https://twitter.com/HomeOfCricket/statu ... 3181002753

But where is today's lunch menu??

[K]

Meanwhile, Smith cover drives Stokes off the back foot for a boundary.

----------------------------------------------

And he brings up 50 in Leach's next over.

[Donny]

7 Ashes half tons in succession for Smith.

1 better than Mike Hussey's record.

[K]

Botham: "Causing a few problems, Stokes," as Paine gets an edge that falls short of first slip.

---------------------------

Holding on Smith again:

91% of his runs are scored on the legside.

Balls on the stumps: SR 122.
Balls outside off: SR in the 30s.

Holding: "I haven't been happy with the length they've bowled to him at all. ... If he drives, it has to be a real half-volley."

[K]

It's here!! The lunch menu for today!!

Day 4 -- https://twitter.com/HomeOfCricket/statu ... 1110105100


Stuffed saddle of lamb, I reckon...but did I have lamb before? Let me see:

Day 1 -- https://twitter.com/HomeOfCricket/statu ... 7906575360

Day 2 -- https://twitter.com/HomeOfCricket/statu ... 3485504513

Day 3 -- https://twitter.com/HomeOfCricket/statu ... 3143969792


Oh, I did... Yesterday, but that was a jambalaya.