Former England opening batter Geoffrey Boycott's reaction summed up Ben Stokes and co.'s performance in the first hour of day three of the second Ashes Test at Lord's Cricket Ground in London. Following Harry Brook's dismissal off a short-pitched delivery by Mitchell Starc, Boycott displayed a disappointed reaction while in the stands.
England started day three at 278-4, with skipper Ben Stokes and Harry Brook at the crease. However, the home side lost Stokes in the second ball of the day as Cameron Green took a well-judged catch at slip off Mitchell Starc's bowling. Brook departed a few overs after his half-century to Starc's lethal short-pitched delivery that he played and sliced to the cover fielder instead of ducking it. It was Brook's wicket that seemed to have annoyed Boycott the most.
Jonny Bairstow tried to pump a delivery from Josh Hazlewood over mid-on, but got the inside half of the bat and holed out to Pat Cummins. The remaining wickets were a mere formality for the visitors, as they gained a 91-run lead and picked up the last six wickets for 47 runs.
David Warner and Usman Khawaja go unscathed before lunch:
Australian openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja got through to lunch 12-0 in 6 overs, surviving some close shaves against James Anderson and Stuart Broad. They carried a lead of 103 by that point and look to bat the hosts out of the game.
However, the biggest concern from Australia's perspective is Nathan Lyon's injury as he sustained a significant calf strain on day two following a fielding effort. Cricket Australia revealed that the off-spinner's participation for the rest of the series will be decided after the Lord's Test. Should he be ruled out of the series, Todd Murphy remains the frontrunner to take his spot.
