349/7 dec Root c Smith b Harris 180 (582 lead)
England 349 for 7 dec (Root 180, Bell 74, Siddle 3-65) and 361 (Bell 109, Bairstow 67, Trott 58, Harris 5-72) lead Australia 128 (Watson 30, Swann 5-44) by 582 runs
Joe Root missed out on the chance of a double century in an Ashes Test at Lord's when he was dismissed for 180, having added only 2 to his overnight score, on the fourth morning of the second Investec Test.
It is a fair bet that no England opening batsman has ever fallen in an Ashes Test attempting a ramp shot in the first half-hour of the day, with nine fielders on the boundary, but that was the manner of Root's departure as he overbalanced against Ryan Harris, and was caught at third man.
England indulged with another 18 minutes of batting on the fourth morning at Lord's, presumably with the intention of trying to give Root his first double hundred, before declaring upon his dismissal with an unassailable lead of 582 runs.
Harris took the first wicket of the morning when Jonny Bairstow edged to Brad Haddin. But there was no joy for Ashton Agar, who dropped a simple return catch off Matt Prior as he lost the ball in the background.
Australia target 583 (not happening)
Aus 24/1 Watson lbw b Anderson 20
Aus 32/2 Rogers b Swann 6
Aus 36/3 Hughes lbw b Swann 1
England 361 (Bell 109, Bairstow 67, Harris 5-72) and 349 for 7 dec (Root 180, Bell 74, Siddle 3-65) beat Australia 128 (Swann 5-44) and 235 (Khawaja 54, Clarke 51, Swann 4-78) by 347 runs
England secured a 2-0 lead in the Investec Ashes series as they completed an inevitable victory against Australia with draining efficiency at the fag-end of the fourth day at Lord's. Australia were four balls away from taking the match into a fifth day, with England forced to take a second new ball, the extra half-hour and finally resorting to silent prayer before completing a 347-run win.
Before an impatient Lord's crowd, eager to tick a box marked victory and head home, Australia's last pair, Darren Pattinson and Ryan Harris, established Australia's second highest stand of the innings - 43 runs awash with defiance. At Trent Bridge, Ashton Agar and Phil Hughes registered the highest last-wicket partnership in Test history, and Australia's highest of the match. If only the batsmen could bat, they might make a fist of this series.
Returning on Monday morning might have been a suitable mini-punishment for England after they self-indulgently batted on for 18 minutes on the fourth morning in a failed attempt to present Joe Root with a double century. He fell attempting a ramp shot with nine men on the boundary. It was such a unique achievement, perhaps Lord's should order an extra Honours Board for it.
But England have four Ashes victories in a row, the strategy of dry pitches is working like a dream and Root's 180 emphasised the gulf between the sides. The youngest English player to make a Test hundred at Lord's, unsurprisingly he took the man-of-the-match award. "I've loved every minute of it," he said.
England made skilful use of a wearing Lord's surface, with the offspin of Graeme Swann predictably to the fore, and with Root also making a cheery guest appearance to break the back of the Australia innings just before tea. Australia will be particularly disturbed that they have completed back-to-back wins without major contributions from the likes of Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen.
Australia have only straws to clutch at - Usman Khawaja acquitted himself responsibly at No. 3 to make his second Test half-century and their bowlers are displaying commendable spirit with both bat and ball - but only one side in history has ever won a series 3-2 after losing the first two Tests. England can surely assume the Ashes are as good as retained.
Only one Test side, also, has ever survived for 173 overs or more to draw a match. That was England against South Africa in Durban in 1939 when a Timeless Test was abandoned after nine days so England could catch a boat home. Australia's task was to show they were not on a slow boat to nowhere, to transform a humiliation into a defeat respectable enough to keep body and soul together for the rest of the series.
That task will be made more difficult while the air remains thick with corporate emails. As Australia's players sought consolation in defeat, Cricket Australia and their former coach, Micky Arthur, exchanged public statements and David Warner's manager felt obliged to distance Warner from his own brother after he made venomous comments about Shane Watson.
Australia, bundled out for 128 first time around, were in disarray at 48 for 3 at lunch as they faced an entirely notional 583 to win. Swann led England's victory push. Expectation of turn was enough to befuddle Rogers, who left a straight one, and Hughes, who reviewed his lbw decision, only to be reminded that, in these days of DRS, lbws are possible for offspinners operating around the wicket even if they do not straighten the ball.
Before then, Watson fell in accustomed manner, lbw, this time hunted down by James Anderson. It was not the embarrassing exit of the first innings, when he planted his front pad and whipped across one and then compounded the error by wasting a review when stone dead. This time he was more respectably beaten by a ball that nipped back and, aware that there was no chance of a reprieve, shook his head mournfully at his batting partner, Rogers, and walked off.
Clarke, coming in at No 5, faced a familiar story: 36 for 3. The cricketing argument for him to bat at No. 4 is offset by the statistical evidence that when he does so it halves his average. He might have departed before lunch, too, when he came down the pitch to Swann, was beaten on the outside edge by one that did not turn, only for Matt Prior, equally deceived, to miss the stumping.
Root's memorable Lord's Test continued apace when he conjured up the wickets of Michael Clarke and Usman Khawaja shortly before tea, breaking their composed 98-run stand in a spell of 7-3-9-2. Clarke, Khawaja and Steve Smith all fell within the space of 21 deliveries.
Root, encouraging hopes that he could develop into the fifth bowler England need on spin-friendly surfaces, found extravagant turn out of the rough to dismiss Clarke, but his dismissal was a soft one as he tickled a ball down the leg side to be caught by Alastair Cook at leg slip. Khawaja put up staunch resistance but followed in Root's next over when he pushed at a ball that turned and edged gently to James Anderson at gully.
Nevertheless, there was enough in Khawaja's approach to suggest that he intends to battle for the right to become Australia's long-term No. 3. He carried the fight against some short bowling from Stuart Broad immediately after lunch, in contrast to Clarke, who was struck on the shoulder and helmet in quick succession by the same bowler. He also blocked Swann out of the footholds with determination.
Swann was a touch hampered by a lower-back injury, caused when Khawaja accidentally collided with him when dashing a single to the bowler's end, and although he regularly found pronounced turn out of the footholds, with the ball travelling more than once straight to slip or gully, he required painkillers and after 17 overs eventually gave way to Root.
Smith's departure to the last ball before tea - the batsman unsuccessfully reviewing after he had been caught at the wicket off a thin inside nick against Tim Bresnan - completed a deflating end to the session after Australia's top-order batsmen had shown as much application as at any time in the series.
Australia's frustrations were compounded by further issues over DRS after tea. Brad Haddin was adjudged lbw to Swann as he padded up to one that turned from around the wicket and then Ashton Agar's brief cut and thrust through point was silenced when England successfully turned to the review system to win a catch at the wicket off Bresnan.
The TV umpire, Tony Hill, upheld it on noise (and Snicko supported him) but there was no mark on Hot Spot, inviting more grumbles from traditionalists wedded to a simpler time when an on-field umpire's decision was law. In Australian cricket, there are more pressing things to carp about.
Tea Australia 128 and 136 for 6 (Haddin 0*, Root 2-8) require a further 447 runs to beat England 361 and 349 for 7 dec (Root 180, Bell 74, Siddle 3-65)
Joe Root's memorable Lord's Test continued apace when he conjured up the wickets of Michael Clarke and Usman Khawaja shortly before tea to give England further impetus towards a victory in the second Investec Test and a 2-0 lead in the Ashes series.
Clarke, who escaped a stumping opportunity off Graeme Swann on 2, fell 20 minutes before tea, as Australia struggled to transform a humiliation into a defeat respectable enough to keep body and soul together for the rest of the series.
That prospect diminished markedly when a flurry of wickets before the second interval - Clarke, Khawaja and Steve Smith all falling within the space of 21 deliveries - left England anticipating a four-day win.
Root, encouraging hopes that he could develop into the fifth bowler England need on spin-friendly surfaces, found extravagant turn out of the rough to dismiss Clarke, but his dismissal was a soft one as he tickled a ball down the leg side to be caught by Alastair Cook at leg slip.
Khawaja, with his second Test half-century, put up staunch resistance for Australia - sharing a stand of 98 with Clarke - but followed in Root's next over when he pushed at a ball that turned and edged gently to James Anderson at gully.
Nevertheless, there was enough in Khawaja's approach to suggest that he intends to battle for the right to become Australia's long-term No. 3. He carried the fight against some short bowling from Stuart Broad immediately after lunch and blocked out Swann stoutly. Khawaja handled the short ball more confidently than Clarke, who was struck on the shoulder and helmet in quick succession by the same bowler.
Steve Smith's departure to the last ball before tea - the batsman unsuccessfully reviewing after he had been caught at the wicket off a thin inside nick against Tim Bresnan - completed a deflating end to the session after Australia's top-order batsmen had shown as much application as at any time in the series.
Swann was hampered by a lower-back injury, caused when Khawaja accidentally collided with him when dashing a single to the bowler's end, and although he regularly found pronounced turn out of the footholds, with the ball travelling more than once straight to slip or gully, he required painkillers and after 17 overs eventually gave way to Root.
Australia, bundled out for 128 first time around, were in disarray at 48 for 3 at lunch as they faced an entirely notional 583 to win.
No side has ever scored 583 in the fourth innings to win a first-class match and, more relevantly, only one Test side has ever survived for 173 overs or more to draw a match. That was England against South Africa in Durban in 1939 when a Timeless Test was abandoned after nine days so England could catch a boat home.
Swann led England's victory push. Expectation of turn was enough to befuddle Rogers, who left a straight one, and Hughes, who reviewed his lbw decision, only to be reminded that, in these days of DRS, lbws are possible for offspinners operating around the wicket even if they do not straighten the ball.
Before then, Watson fell in accustomed manner, lbw, this time hunted down by James Anderson. It was not the embarrassing exit of the first innings, when he planted his front pad and whipped across one and then compounded the error by wasting a review when stone dead. This time he was more respectably beaten by a ball that nipped back and, aware that there was no chance of a reprieve, shook his head mournfully at his batting partner, Rogers, and walked off.
Clarke, coming in at No 5, faced a familiar story: 36 for 3. The cricketing argument for him to bat at No. 4 is offset by the statistical evidence that when he does so it halves his average. He might have departed before lunch, too, when he came down the pitch to Swann, was beaten on the outside edge by one that did not turn, only for Matt Prior, equally deceived, to miss the stumping.
There was some hope for England's pace bowlers, too, Broad getting one ball to break through the dry surface, as a decent Test pitch began to deteriorate.
England indulged in another 18 minutes batting on the fourth morning at Lord's, presumably with the intention of trying to give Joe Root his 200, before declaring upon his dismissal. He faced only three balls, adding two to his overnight score, in what in terms of the position of the game was a pointless prelude to the day.
It is a fair bet that no England opening batsman has ever fallen in an Ashes Test attempting a shovel shot in the first half-hour of the day, with nine fielders on the boundary, but that was the manner of Root's departure as he overbalanced against Ryan Harris and was caught at third man.
Root was Harris's second wicket after Jonny Bairstow had earlier edged to Brad Haddin. But there was no joy for Ashton Agar, who dropped a simple return catch off Prior as he lost the ball in the background.
Lunch Australia 128 and 48 for 3 (Clarke 11*, Khawaja 8*, Swann 2-10) need 535 runs to beat England 361 and 349 for 7 dec (Root 180, Bell 74, Siddle 3-65)
Australia found no escape from their first-innings horrors when they batted a second time in the second Investec Test at Lord's. Bundled out for 128 first time around, they were in disarray at 48 for 3 at lunch as they faced an entirely notional 583 to win.
No side has ever scored 583 in the fourth innings to win a first-class match and, more relevantly, only one Test side has ever survived for 173 overs or more to draw a match. That was England against South Africa in Durban in 1939, when a Timeless Test was abandoned after nine days so England could catch a boat home.
Australia are on a boat to nowhere in this series, lacking the quality of batsmen to challenge England consistently. Shane Watson, Chris Rogers and Phil Hughes all departed by lunch as England anticipated a four-day finish.
Graeme Swann led England's victory push, to nobody's great surprise, relishing a wearing pitch which offered occasional sharp turn and bounce out of the footholds. Expectation of turn was enough to befuddle Rogers, who left a straight one, and Hughes, who reviewed his lbw decision, only to be reminded that, in these days of DRS, lbws are possible for offspinners operating around the wicket, even if they do not straighten the ball.
Before then, Watson fell in his accustomed manner, with an lbw from James Anderson. It was not the embarrassing exit of the first innings, when he planted his front pad and whipped across one, and then compounded the error by wasting a review when stone dead. This time he was more respectably beaten by a ball that nipped back and, aware that there was no chance of a reprieve, shook his head mournfully at his batting partner, Rogers, and walked off.
Michael Clarke, coming in at No 5, faced a familiar story: 36 for 3. The cricketing argument for him to bat at No 4 is offset by the statistical evidence that when he does so it halves his average. He might have departed before lunch, too, when he came down the pitch to Swann, was beaten on the outside edge by one that did not turn, only for Matt Prior, equally deceived, to miss the stumping.
There was some hope for England's pace bowlers, too, Broad getting one ball to break through the dry surface, as a decent Test pitch began to deteriorate.
Broad hits the badge
Drop of the day
Broad hits the badge
Drop of the day
Players with great debut seasons often have second season blues when the opposition work them out and they struggle to adapt. Ashton Agar has sped that up, and his second Test is already the blues. In this Test he was run out by his partner, took no wickets, and had to hobble around the field with a hip injury. The only moment he could pull it back was an easy caught and bowled opportunity that he didn't see. It bounced off his chest. As if in disgust, but more because of trying to keep a batsman at one end, all the fielders walked to the boundary. Ashton still smiled. He only stopped smiling when Tony Hill refused to believe in Hot Spot.
Badge hit of the day
"Hey Aussies, want a representation of what we are doing to you" is not what Stuart Broad said when he was bouncing Michael Clarke. But by bowling a bouncer and bouncing of the badge of Clarke's helmet, that is exactly what he did. Clarke plays short pitch bowling fine when his back is okay. When his back is not working, he's a human piñata. He looked much like the statue of him that may never be built if Australia keep playing this way.
Ominous moment of the day
It probably looked worse than it was. Three balls after playing and missing at a delivery that spun prodigiously out of the footmarks and beat the outside edge, Chris Rogers left one from Graeme Swann that went straight on with the arm and hit off stump. It was a dismissal that encapsulated the problems of a left-hander trying to play Swann on a worn, dry wicket offering him copious assistance: any stroke was fraught with danger, but Swann's drift and natural variation made leaving the ball dangerous. Roger's dismissal was also yet another example of Swann striking in his first over.
Let off of the day
Had Matt Prior been able to complete the stumping opportunity he had against Clarke when he had scored just 2, Australia would have been 38 for 4 and in danger of imploding without meaningful resistance. Swann, enticing Clarke down the pitch with a well-flighted delivery that dipped sharply and defeated the batsman, must have thought he had his man but Prior fumbled the chance and allowed the ball to bounce off his legs and Clarke to regain his ground. He went on to score 51 and add 98 for the fourth wicket with Usman Khawaja. It made no difference to the end result, of course, but it did prevent a degree of humiliation.
Non-referral of the day
As if working to a Police Academy script, Shane Watson made a handsome start before clumping his front pad down the wicket and allowing the ever-so-accurate James Anderson to hit it with a ball headed for the stumps. England's appeal was vociferous and the umpire Marais Erasmus' finger was raised. As ever, Watson wandered down the pitch and pondered whether or not to review. To widespread amusement, he declined, continuing his walk past the non-striker Rogers and Erasmus to the Lord's pavilion.
Payback time is not so much fun after all
Sport is a battle not just for supremacy but also for primacy. Who had the greatest influence on the result? Did Team A win the game or did Team B lose it? Every wicket, boundary, goal or try begets analysis: how much was down to good play and how much to bad? In tennis terms, what was the balance between winners and unforced errors.
In 2010-11, when England marmalised Australia, it felt as if it was more about their excellence than their opponent's limitations. That balance changed at Lord's over the last four days. This has been a landmark match in an era of Ashes cricket, the time when what should be one of the most precious things in cricket - an Ashes victory - became almost a formality. In the age of 140 characters, the last day is easily summarised: England bowled dry and Australia's batting was wet.
Our reference points have travelled 20 years inside a week. Last Sunday was all about 2005; now it's 1985, when England battered a feeble Australia 3-1. It seems history will record this series in a similar way, as an uneven contest between a good side and a poor one. There is one difference: this time England might be disappointed with a 3-1 victory. Yet it's hard to know quite what it all means. They have had tougher Tests against Bangladesh.
For many there is understandable schadenfreude and an unapologetic sense of payback. For those who grew up secretly idolising the Baggy Green and asking themselves in any given situation, "What would Steve Waugh do?" there is significant sadness to see an Australian side so pathetic. You really wouldn't wish this on your worst enemy.
When people are using cliches like "You can only beat what's in front of you" or "Cricket needs a strong Australia" - never mind wheeling out the old jokes about whether they deserve a five-Test series and whether runs and wickets against Australia should officially count - you know there is a problem. The cricket world is off its axis.
To misquote Martin Johnson, there is only one problem with this Australian team: they can't bat. The trouble is that their single problem is an absolute stonker. There was much criticism of Australia's batting before this series, yet they haven't even lived down to expectations: they are much worse than we thought.
Their performance in the second innings was that of men whose basic faculties had gone. Shane Watson could have had a premonition, a DeLorean, the ability to freeze time and unlimited reviews and he still wouldn't have been able to stop his dismissal; Chris Rogers and Brad Haddin were out offering no stroke; and Steve Smith, like Phil Hughes in the first innings, didn't even know he'd hit the ball. At this rate, they might become the first team to employ a specialist DRS coach.
The top order wagged for much of the afternoon session, but then came the increasingly familiar collapse: 5 for 28 to go with 10 for 86 in the first innings and 5 for 9 at Trent Bridge. During Ashes series in the 1990s it was often said that England were "five out, all out". At the moment Australia are almost nought out: seven down before their lower-order show them how to bat with pride and purpose. The top order needs to go into batting rehab.
What Australia would give for the following top six: Greg Blewett, Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn, Michael Bevan, Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting. That was the A team line-up in the Benson & Hedges Series final of 1994-95. http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/66408.html. Throughout Australia's years of world domination, their main fear was how they would replace Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath. Nobody worried about the batsmen. Whatever else, Australia would always produce batsmen.
Australia's inadequacies are not England's concern - you can only beat what's in front of you - and their celebratory fizz will taste just fine. Yet even they must be a touch unnerved by how easy this has been. They have played a good Test match, no more, and beaten Australia by 347 runs. England won a single live Ashes Test between 1987 and 2005; this team have done the same without getting out of second gear. It all felt a little low-key, a triumph without recourse to exclamation marks. Yes, England have (all but) won the Ashes.
Those exclamation marks might be needed later in the summer. England achieved full mental and physical disintegration in this match. The precedent of India 2011 - a series that started tightly and ended as an inevitable procession once the visiting team were broken - suggests a whitewash is a genuine possibility. By the time of the fourth Test at Durham, Howay Five-0 might be on everyone's lips.
In his new book, Matt Prior says that the idea of England leaving a legacy has become the most important thing in his career. This team have already done that by winning in Australia and India and not to becoming the No1 side in the world. Now they have the chance to do something that no England team has ever achieved: a 5-0 Ashes whitewash. That pursuit might be the only thing that stops this series descending into anti-climax. The only way for England to save this series is to make it even more one-sided.
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