Ashes 2nd Test Day 2 Highlights: England trailing Australia by 138 runs at Stumps; Duckett stars with 98

The day began with Steve Smith racing to an inevitable, record-breaking 32nd hundred. Australia batted rapidly, but lost wickets too in exchange as the visitors wound up with 416 for its first innings.

England openers - Crawley and Duckett - got their side to a near-perfect start. The latter was at his masterly best, until he fell two runs short of a well-deserved hundred.

Australia’s short-ball ploy worked well as England lost Root and Pope soon. Brook and Stokes saw off a brusing phase of play, even though the former had to play some unconvincing shots to get through.

England trails Australia by just 138 runs and it is all set to boil over to Day 5, just like the first Test.

Stokes has settled himself well, while Brook has motored on close to fifty.

Last over of the day and it is Steve Smith with the ball. He switches from leg spin to off spin midway through the over. Just a single from the over and it is Stumps.

ENG 278/4 in 61 overs, trail by 138 runs

Australia get in a couple of quiet overs to slow down England’s innings further.

Brook breaks the shackles with a boundary off Hazleweood. Edge runs past Green at gully.

Australia forced to turn to Travis Head in the absence of Lyon. He causes some trouble to Stokes with his gentle off spin.

The run rate has slowed down, despite a boundary by a crunching boundary hit by Brook against Cummins.

DROP!!

Brook slams it straight to Labuschagne posted at square leg. Sharp chance, but he would have expected to catch that.

Australia’s short ball strategy has started to fade, with Stokes and Brook getting comfortable on the pitch.

Captain Stokes out in the middle and Cummins brings himself on straight away. The strategy remains the same. Short ball into the body, forcing errors from the English batters.

Brook has tries to hit his way out of trouble, but has not looked convincing enough. Stokes hasn’t sunk his teeth in and this is an edgy phase of play for the Englishmen.

Australia persists with the short ball strategy and it is causing some trouble for Brook and Root.

Starc forces Brook to duck with sharp lifter. Root on strike. Another short ball. Root pokes at it and Smith makes a diving catch near square leg. Another wicket falls for England!!

Brook comes in and is greeted with a low full toss. He jams it on to the pitch and it bounces above Hazlewood and races away to the fence. Another short ball and this time Brook steps away to the leg side before whacking it flat batted to the vacant cover region. No signs of backing down.

Starc squares up Brook with a bouncer. Top edge, but lands between the keeper and deep fine leg.

Another bouncer, this time from Hazlewoood and Duckett goes after it. It is a top edge and Warner completes an easy catch. He falls two runs short of the century mark.

Australia continues with its short ball strategy and Englans is not shying away from taking it on. The home side has gone past 200.

Starc is reintroduced. He has been the most expensive bowler of the day, going more than a run-a-ball. Duckett moves to 98 with a quickly-run single.

Green thought he had a second wicket in the same over. Attacks new-batter Root with a bouncer and it clips off his gloves and lands in Carey’s gloves. Australia celebrates, but it is given no-ball. Green had overstepped, again!!

Will that turn out to be the defining mistake of the game?

ENG 195/2 in 39 overs!

Another short ball from Green. Pope tries to pull it beyond the fence. But he doesn’t middle it and it is high in the air. Steve Smith circles under it and completes a tough catch.

End of Ollie Pope’s knock. He is out for a 63-ball 42.

Duckett can only top edge a Green bouncer. It lands in no-man’s land. But Lyon, who made an attempt to get to the ball, seems to have hurt his leg in the process.

The physio takes a look at him. Lyon hobbles back to the dugout.

Green goes wide and Duckett goes after him. Slices it over the gully region for a four.

Pitches it up and Duckett drives it on the up. Cummins had to put in a dive to prevent that from running away.

Duckett though doesn’t miss out second time out. This time he nails the cover drive, arching his bat and finishing with a flourish. Glorious Boundary!

Green and Lyon keeps a tight leash on the English batters. The first two overs after Tea see only four runs scored.

Green surprises Duckett with a sharp bouncer. It clips off the left-hander’s gloves and balloons over the slip cordon for a boundary. Lucky break for the English opener.

Cam Green starts the proceedings for Australia after Tea.

England will be looking to make further inroads into Australia’s first innings total.

Nathan Lyon continues his disciplined spell and gives away just two off his over.

Duckett completes his FIFTY with a clip past the square leg region in Starc’s over. The left-arm bowler again giving away 10 runs from his over.

In Lyon’s next’s over, Duckett glances a ball going down leg to the fence. A rare error by the off spinner.

AND WE HAVE TEA!!! England in a strong position - 145/1 in 30 overs.

Mitchell Starc returns for a new spell.

Ollie Pope tries to drive a wide-of-off delivery. He gets an inside edge which misses the stumps and runs away to the fine leg boundary.

Starc leaks 16 runs. He has given away 45 in his six overs.

Australia has slowed down England’s progress.

Cummins reels in a maiden over, before Lyon delivers a two-run over.

Duckett gets a couple of doubles against Cummins next over to help England regain some momentum.

Cummins brings himself back into the attack. Duckett taps a single down the leg side to get England to the 100-run mark.

Lyon floats one on the off side and Pope crunches it through the covers for a boundary.

Ollie Pope comes out to bat despite having injured his shoulder while fielding.

He shows no signs of discomfort as he handles Hazlewood’s over with ease. Three doubles in that over.

Smith makes another anticipated move to his right at first slip, with Lyon bowling against Pope. He prevents a boundary there.

Lyon continues. He sticks to the middle stump line. Entices Crawley outside the crease with a slower one and it drifts away to the leg side. Carey is sharp and completes a smart stumping. ENGLAND LOSES ITS FIRST WICKET

Hazlewood opts for a short ball against Crawley. The left-hander rises high and flat bats it in front of the square for an authoritative boundary.

England is zooming towards the three-figure mark here and the Australian bowlers are clueless at the face of this controlled aggression from the English openers.

Hazlewood goes short and Crawley doesn’t buckle down. Swings at it and it rockets to the fence for four more!!

Hazlewood pitches it up and Crawley leans forward and straight drives it. CRISP!! Four More!

Duckett too gets into the action. Brings out the slog sweep against Lyon. Skids across the surface and races away to the fence. England pressing on the accelerator.

Hazlewood into the attack and Duckett welcomes him with a cover drive, which skids away to the fence. FOUR AND THAT IS 50 up for England!!!

The run rate is creeping close to five, despite English openers not doing anything dramatic.

Lyon introduced as Cummins looks to stem the run flow. Crawley whips out the reverse sweep and Smith almost makes an incredible catch at first slip. He anticipated the shot and moved in line of the shot. But it crept past him in the last second.

Crawley goes after Starc. Back-to-back boundaries, one through covers and one to mid wicket.

England innings gaining momentum here.

The English openers have found it easier against Starc. They are able to rotate strike better against the left-hander.

Cummins comes in for his fourth over. Slightly full and Crawley punches it straight back. Classy shot for a four!!

Starc hits the right spots, preventing scoring opportunities for the English openers.

Cummins too continues. Around the wicket into Duckett. He tucks one into the leg side for a single to give strike to Crawley. Nothing flashy from these two.

Another intriguing session of play lies in store. England openers have not unleashed ‘Bazball’ yet. They have played it straight and safe.

But things could change in the second session as Aussie pacers look to make some inroads.

Both Cummins and Starc are yet to trouble the English openers, who have stuck to straight batting everything in line of the stumps. And Lunch is taken.

Captain Cummins from the other end for Australia. Keep angling the ball into Crawley, who defends everything duly. Just a single from the second over.

Starc offers some width and Duckett slices at it. Not in complete control, but he gets a four for it.

Crawley and Duckett start the first innings for England. Starc with the first over.

Positive start for England. Four runs from the first over.

Cummins defends through a Tongue over, before latching onto a cover drive. Rushes to the fence for a four.

Hazlewood too gets into the act, with a silky cover drive. FOUR MORE!! Australia adding some valuable runs here.

Robinson though wraps things up quickly. Hazlewood tries to make room on the leg side. But can only edge it to Joe Root at slips.

That is is it for Australia in the first innings. It finishes with 416.

Robinson targets Lyon with short balls. Lyon gets a pull shot right and gains a boundary.

Another short ball, but this time Lyon can only loft it to Tongue at deep fine leg. Ninth wicket down for Australia.

Lyon and Cummins, the heroes from the Edgbaston chase, are out in the middle.

Cummins drives one to long on and that is Australia’s 400.

Lyon is in no mood to defend. He drives Tongue on the up. The bowler manages to get a hand on it to prevent a boundary

Tongue up against Smith. Tempts the Aussie batter with one on the corridor.

Smith takes the bait and edges it to Duckett at gully. He falls after a getting to a well-deserved hundred.

Cummins and Smith are guiding Australia to the 400-mark. The wickets of Carey and Starc hasn’t slowed them down. The run rate is still hovering over four.

Steve Smith gets to his hundred. The 32nd one of his Test career. He goes level with Steve Waugh with 32 hundreds, the second-most for an Australian in Tests.

This is also his 12th Ashes 100. Only Don Bradman has more Ashes hundreds than Smith.

He celebrates his milestone with a Smith-special drive. Flies past the mid-wicket for a four.

Skipper Pat Cummins out in the middle now for Australia.

Broad drifts on to Smith’s pads and he whips it away for a boundary.

Anderson surprises Smith with a yorker. The Aussie batter jams it on to the ground and it bounces off the pitch and over the slips cordon for a four. He is closing in on yet another Ashes hundred.

Anderson continues.

Full and outside the off and Starc is tempted to go in for a drive. All he can do is nick it to the keeper. Bairstow has some work to do and he pouches the catch. Seventh wicket down for Australia.

Starc walks in ahead of Cummins and he starts with an emphatic on-drive for a four.

Anderson continues from the other end. Smith continues to play within himself, opting to leave the ball more often than not. Starc has looked to assured with the bat, defending and driving with confidence.

Broad starts with a couple of gifts for Carey. On the pads and full and the Aussie clips both of it away for boundaries.

Broad corrects his line and length and beats Carey’s inside edge it hits him on the pads. The umpire doesn’t give it out and England reviews and it is all red. CAREY IS GONE

Steve Smith will look to carry on from Day 1. He was steady presence while Labuschagne and Head took on the bowlers.

Alex Carey is there to provide him with the required support.

Anderson with the first over and Smith leaves the first ball, which was on the fifth stump.

Australia opener David Warner took another decisive step towards securing his dream Test exit early next year with a battling 66 against England in the opening innings of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s.

The Sydneysider announced this month that he would like to bring down the curtain on his Test career in his hometown Test against Pakistan but knew he would need runs in England to make sure he was still in the team come January.

Steve Smith scored an unbeaten 85 to guide Australia to 339 for five as England wasted favourable bowling conditions on the first day of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s on Wednesday.

England captain Ben Stokes won the toss under grey skies and floodlights at the home of cricket, sending Australia into bat with high hopes of taking early wickets in his team’s bid to level the series.

But David Warner and Usman Khawaja rode their luck to share a gritty opening partnership of 73 and although Josh Tongue removed them both, Marnus Labuschagne made 47 and Travis Head a rapid 77 to put Australia in a commanding position.