Ashes 2019 | Lord's Day 2 Talking Points - England's middle-order woes and David Warner's worrisome form
Winning the toss and electing to field, the Aussies made the perfect start as Josh Hazlewood struck twice to put England in deep trouble. However, fighting knocks from Rory Burns and Bairstow and a probing new-ball spell from Stuart Broad ensured that the teams were inseparable at the end of Day 2.
Hazlewood brings some much needed âJoshâ to the bowling attack
Come the morning of the Test, the New South Welshman, who to everyoneâs surprise was overlooked at Edgbaston, was given the responsibility of taking the new-ball, and boy did he not impress? On just his third ball of the match, Hazlewood got the better of Jason Roy, who prodded to a delivery that probed the fourth-stump line, nicking one to the keeper. The 28-year-old then followed the wicket up with three consecutive maidens, before trapping skipper Joe Root with a delivery nipping back in. The set-up by Hazlewood, in particular, was mighty impressive, as the right-armer bowled an array of outswingers before sending one back into Root and catching him off-guard.Â
According to Cricviz, 64% of the balls bowled by Hazlewood pre-lunch were on a good length, meaning he adjusted to the conditions in no time - conditions which provided just 0.49° of swing, the least swing recorded in the first 20 overs of a Lord's Test since 2006. He followed it up by getting the dangerous-looking Joe Denly, with the set-up being as intelligent as it can get. The Australian went short, short, short and short before finally outfoxing the Kent man with a textbook outswinger, resulting in a nick to keeper Paine.
With both Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson waiting on the sidelines, the onus was on Hazlewood to deliver, and the right-armer showed the world exactly why he has been an automatic pick in the Test team for the past two years. This spell, in particular, is an extremely encouraging sign for the Aussies and a worrying one for the English, because if Hazlewood can trouble the batters so much on a surface that hardly provided any movement, one can imagine the extent of damage heâd do on spicier wickets.
Englandâs middle-order misery - a never-ending saga
10, 57, 18, 5, 50, 28, 28, 11, 1, 6, 0, 14, 30, 12, 13. In case youâre wondering, these numbers are the scores of all English batsmen barring Burns, so far in this Ashes. 283 runs at an average of 18, and with numbers like these, it is hardly surprising why the Three Lions are already playing catchup in the series. On a surface that didnât offer too much for the pacers, the English batters yet again failed to live up to the challenge, failing to apply themselves and falling victim to rather innocuous deliveries.Â
As brought to attention by Cricviz, England's top six average 26.07 runs-per-dismissal in Test cricket this year. The last time they averaged less was 1950. While Burns, who has already scored a fifty and a century in just three innings showed his compatriots the way, they have seldom obliged, as they seem to keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again. Be it Royâs indecisiveness or Rootâs inconsistency or Buttlerâs hopeless stay at the middle, the English batters almost give away the impression that theyâre reluctant to stay out in the middle, and are more or less content with the 30s and 40s.Â
It has to be said that even if the top-order batsmen showed half the grit and determination that Chris Woakes, who scored his third consecutive thirty-plus score did, England would have found themselves in a much better position. More than a technical shortcoming, it all but seems like a radical issue with the mindset, approach and almost a psychological barrier, and if not addressed soon enough, might very well see the Urn sail far away from them in no time.
Stuart Broad 3-0 David Warner
The venue was different, the conditions were different, but the result was the same old one, that of Stuart Broad getting the better of David Warner. This is the third time that the Nottinghamshire man has seen the back of the Aussie, and this certainly should be alarming for the whole Australian camp, if not just Warner alone. When Broadâs delivery nipped back and hit the top of Warnerâs sticks, it almost felt like it was the inevitable which was bound to happen, with the right-armer giving a sense of having measured his opponent from the very first ball.
From being trapped LBW in the first innings at Edgbaston to getting caught in the slips to now eventually getting knocked over, the New South Welshman can hardly seem to get away from the Englishman, who seems to be darting deliveries at Warner with his name written on it.Â
However, more concerningly for the Aussies, this is the third consecutive single digit score for Warner, who now has scores of 3, 8 and 2 in this series, falling victim to Broad in each of the three occasions. This definitely would hand a huge psychological boost to both Broad and England, as it virtually means that the Three Lions automatically start on the front foot every time Australia walk in to bat.Â
This might be an overstatement, but make no mistake, a failure in the second innings and a substantial score from Cameron Bancroft might very well put Warnerâs place in the team under threat, with the Australian selectors clearly having indicated that they prioritize form over any other aspect.