ENG vs AUS Ashes 2nd Test Day 3 Highlights: Rain cuts short final session; Australia leads England by 221 runs

Umpires have decided that this is it for the day. Australia ends Day 3 with a 221-run lead. With two wickets in hand, they are surely ahead in the game.

England started the day with a foot in the game. But a combination of suicidal shot-making and targetted bowling meant Australia stormed to a 91-run lead.

Khawaja and Warner got Australia to another strong start. Labuschagne looked promising before he was nabbed by Anderson. With both Khawaja and Smith looking well-settled, Australia will aim for a 400+ target.

Robinson and Tongue keep it neat and tidy. Two back-to-back maiden overs from the English pacers.

Its drizzling out there and umpires decide to stop play.

Australia 130/2, leads by 221 runs.

Broad causes some trouble for Steve Smith early on. Beats him once ball and hits him on the pad the next one.

Anderson continues on with his spell. This is a crucial phase of play for both teams. A wicket now will bring the game back into the English corner.

Anderson continues to keep it on the corridor and finally he extracts an error from Labuschagne. He slices it straight at point and Australia loses its second.

Broad gifts a full toss to Khawaja, who taps it down the ground for a four and gets to his fifty. This has been a fault-free innings from the Aussie opener.

Anderson loses his line and Labuschagne punishes him by slashing through covers for a four. Australia is gaining momentum here.

Labuschagne starts the final session by pulling Anderson in front of square for a four. Positive start for Australia.

Broad from the other end. Engages with Khawaja, who eventually takes a single.

Anderson drifts down the leg side and gives away four byes.

Anderson and Broad continue in tandem.

Anderson holds Labuschagne for a maiden. Broad up against Khawaja. Couple of bouncers, but the Australian batter deals it with ease.

Labuschagne drives at a wide one from Broad. Misses the ball. But English players celebrate thinking there was an edge. The umpire shakes his head. England doesn’t review.

Next ball, Broad thumps one onto Labuschagne’s pad. Looked clean at first sight, but England again doesn’t review. It was going wide anyway.

And that is it for this session.

Runs are at a premium for Australia here. Robinson and Tongue reel in a couple of maiden overs.

Anderson comes in and so does Bairstow. Interesting ploy from England here as it tries to prevent Labuschagne from going forward.

Slightly short from Anderson and Labuschangne employs the short arm jab to gather a boundary. That should break the shackles for Australia.

Warner’s wicket has given English bowlers an extra boost. Robinson troubles Khawaja with a sharp lifter, while Tongue keeps on the attack with some sharp inswingers against Labuschagne.

Another inswinger and Labuschagne is hit on his pad. The umpire gives him out, but Labuschagne is saved by the review. Impact outside off.

Tongue finally breaches Warner’s defence. In-swinger and it slides past his inside edge. Warner reviews without success. England has its first scalp.

Robinson holds Khawaja down for a maiden over. Couple of play and misses there as England senses an opening.

A mishit from Warner. It floats in the Lord’s sky for a while, but lands safe. English bowlers must feel a tad unlucky, having created a bunch of chances, without much luck.

Robinson drags it a tad too straight and Warner punches it straight back. Pope chases it down to keep it down to a three.

Meanwhile, Pope is forced off the field. Fielding has taken too much a strain on his injured shoulder.

Warner slashes one through covers for a couple.

Khawaja has taken the initiative in this opening partnership. He adds a boundary, against Robinson, with a clip of his pads. It races away to the fence.

At the other end, Warner is happy to bide his time, opting to prioritise his defence.

Broad squares up Warner again. Moves the ball just enough to beat the Aussie’s outside edge. And once again, Warner resorts to shuffling across his stumps to negate the swing.

CHANCE!!

Slightly short from Tongue and Khawaja opts for an aggressive pull shot. Goes right through James Anderson’s hands.

Couple of boundaries for Khawaja. First one an edge, which flew past third slip. The second a clip down the fine leg fence.

Broad goes full again and Khawaja drives on the up. Elegant boundary!

Australian openers have weathered the initial storm and are looking settled now.

Anderson begins the session for England. Some early swing for Anderson and he raps Warner on the pads. The umpire seems uninterested. England reviews. It is shown to come off Warner’s bat.

Warner gets his first boundary.

Full on the off side from Broad and thumped. And that is it for the morning session. Lunch is taken. Australia leads by 103 runs

Broad up against Warner. A battle we have seen unfold in favour of the Englishman so many times.

Broad cuts Warner in half with an inswinger. Then goes the other way to beat his outside edge. The crowd loves it and eggs Broad on to get his man. Warner starts moving across the stumps to negate the swing.

Anderson finally pitches on up and Khawaja happily drives it through cover for a four.

Two maiden to start with. Broad and Anderson start with some sharp, accurate stuff. Khawaja and Warner take it easy.

Two singles from Anderson’s second over to start the innings for Australia.

James Anderson with the first over under some overcast conditions. England would love some early breakthroughs.

Cummins gets his first of the day and that is it for England’s first innings. Awkward one on to the body for Tongue and he pokes it to short leg.

Australia gets a 91-run first innings lead.

Head gets one more. Broad attempts a sweep shot and the ball sneaks underneath his bat. The umpire gives it out. Broad reviews futilely. England’s innings winding up rapidly.

Head continues. Robinson charges down the pitch. He can only get a nick on it and Carey takes a wonderful catch. It was almost at his shoulder and the Aussie keeper had to adjust his body to get hold off the ball. Australia keeps on knocking down the wickets.

Broad is the next one to have a concussion test, following a Green bouncer thumping on to his helmet.

He has been batting well and had taken on part-time spinner Travis Head. The check causes a break in play.

Hazlewood introduced and he stike immediately. He puts one almost on the slot and Bairstow attempts to go over the top. All he can do is chip it to Cummins at mid on.

England is seven down and Australia is well on the way to make a solid first innings lead.

Broad is the new batter and he is straight away treated with some spicy bouncers. There is a silly mid on now in anticipation of an edge.

Englad’s hopes of gaining a first innings lead has taken a serious hit in these early overs.

Another short ball to Starc. Awkward fend by Brook as he pokes it to Cummins at deep cover. England in deep trouble!!

Starc and Cummins piling on the pressure. They aren’t allowing Brook or Bairstow any breating room.

Star induces a top-edge from Bairstow. But fortunately for the English batter, it falls lands safely in between fielders.

This is exactly how Australia would have wanted this morning session to pan out.

Another bouncer against Brook and it clatters onto his helmet. Concussion check needed. He is ok and back. Next ball, he takes a single and gets to his fifty. Combative 50 from the youngster.

Pat Cummins with the second over of the day. Starts with a couple of bouncers against Brook, who shows no hesitation in taking them on.

Starc too targets Brook with some short stuff. He shows some restraint this time.

Stokes and Brook have a tough phase of play to handle.

Starc with the ball to start Day 3.

Second ball of the day. He pitches it on good length and Stokes failed to read it right. Clips off his edge and floats to Cam Green.

WHATTA START FOR AUSTRALIA

Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon suffered an Ashes injury scare when he limped off with a calf problem during the second day of the second Test at Lord’s.

Lyon appeared to hold his calf muscle after running in from the boundary Thursday to field a shot from England’s Ben Duckett.

The 35-year-old slowly hobbled off the field and sat down for several minutes while a member of Australia’s medical team checked his injury.

Ben Duckett insisted England had no regrets about its aggressive game plan after the opener was one of several batters to fall into Australia’s short-ball trap on a dramatic day at Lord’s.

In reply to Australia’s first-innings total of 416, England had seized back the momentum as it raced to 188-1 during Thursday’s second day of the second Ashes Test.

But Duckett, Ollie Pope and Joe Root all perished playing needlessly attacking hook shots in response to a barrage of Australia bouncers.

That reduced England to 222-4 before captain Ben Stokes restored order with a slightly more cautious approach alongside Harry Brook as the hosts reached 278-4 by the close of play.

Opener Ben Duckett hit 98 as England raced to 278-4 in another high-octane “Bazball” batting display to continue its Ashes fightback on day two of the second Lord’s test on Thursday after bowling Australia out for 416 on a memorable day’s action.

In the latest extraordinary display of modern-day test cricket, England enjoyed its best Ashes opening stand for 11 years and rattled to its total at almost five an over.

However, the counterpoint of its all-action approach meant it also gifted key wickets when well-set batsmen refused to back down in the face of Australia’s somewhat desperate short-pitched approach.