Kangaroos hold on to 1-0 series lead
London: The second Test between England and Australia ended in a draw at Lord’s on Sunday.
Australia, set an unlikely 267 to win in a minimum of 48 overs after England captain Joe Root’s declaration, finished on 154-6, with Marnus Labuschagne — Test cricket’s first concussion substitute — top-scoring with 59.
A draw always looked likely in a match that saw five whole sessions lost to rain and Australia’s Steve Smith ruled out with concussion on Sunday after being hit on the neck by a Jofra Archer bouncer during his 92 on Saturday. Four wickets after tea gave England hope of what would have been a stunning win. Ashes-holders Australia, bidding for their first Test series win away to England in 18 years, remain 1-0 up in the five-match campaign following their 251-run victory at Edgbaston last week. In a match featuring such high drama, there had to be a twist or two. So there was as England dominated an Australia side missing the concussed Steven Smith, threatened to snatch victory via Jofra Archer’s fireballs and then succumbed to some dogged batting by Smith’s replacement as the second Test ended in a draw – but not before the hosts threatened for a second time to steal the win. Smith was ruled out before play on the final day at Lord’s after waking with symptoms of concussion, despite initial assessments having cleared him to resume his innings the previous day after suffering a nasty blow to the neck from an Archer bouncer. After rain delayed the start by more than an hour, the sun broke through to reveal a continuation of the thrilling contest this match had become after a washed-out opening day. Marnus Labuschagne, the first concussion replacement in Test history under play conditions introduced on August 1, withstood more Archer barrages to score a half-century which was pivotal in helping Australia avoid defeat after Archer and Jack Leach had nullified the tourists’ top order. Labuschagne’s 59 was Australia’s top score for their second innings and came after he had been hit flush on the helmet grille by a ball from Archer on the first legal delivery he faced. The third Test at Headingley starts on Thursday.
Brief scores: England 258 (R Burns 53, J Bairstow 52; J Hazlewood 3-58, P Cummins 3-61, N Lyon 3-68) and 258-5 dec (B Stokes 115 no; P Cummins 3-35) Australia 250 (S Smith 92; S Broad 4-65, C Woakes 3-61) and 154-6 (M Labuschagne 59; J Archer 3-32, J Leach 3-37) Result: Match drawn Series: Australia lead five-match series 1-0. (AFP)