The Ashes 2023: Ben Stokes' heroics cannot save England from Australia defeat in incident-packed Lord's finale
Ben Stokes hit 155 on the final day at Lord's, but it was not enough to help them avoid losing to Australia and going down 2-0 in the series with three matches to play; watch the third Test at Headingley live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10am on Thursday, July 6
Monday 3 July 2023 06:17, UK
Ben Stokes' blockbusting 155 was not enough to help England avoid a 43-run defeat to Australia on an exhilarating and controversial final day of the second men’s Ashes Test at Lord’s.
Resuming the final day on 114-4, Ben Duckett and Stokes added a further 63 runs to the overnight total to get the victory target down to under 200 runs before the former fell to a short ball from Josh Hazlewood just after the morning session drinks break.
Jonny Bairstow's departure in contentious circumstances for just 10, given out when wicketkeeper Alex Carey threw the ball at the stumps after the batter had walked out of his ground, then left England 193-6 - an incident from which the repercussions would continue into the Long Room as the players left the field for lunch.
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Skipper Stokes responded in the only way he knows how by going on the offensive with the bat, passing the century mark with three scintillating sixes before lunch, but was eventually dismissed by Hazlewood midway through the afternoon following an epic 108-run stand with Stuart Broad.
Australia eventually wrapped up the remaining three wickets to secure victory before tea and take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series, leaving Stokes and his side up against it in their bid to wrest the Ashes urn back from their oldest rivals.
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Controversy and drama dominate morning session
England still needed 257 runs for victory when play resumed on Sunday morning, and some smart batting from Duckett and Stokes, saw them through the first hour, with the latter successfully utilising DRS to overturn an lbw decision against him off Starc's bowling while on 39 and going on to reach his 29th Test half-century in the 41st over.
Change bowler Hazlewood broke the partnership of 132 in the 46th over though, once again utilising the short-ball ploy which had served both teams so well in this match as Duckett tried to pull one but was caught off an acrobatic leap from Carey to depart for 83.
Six overs later, the game exploded when Bairstow ducked out of the way of a Hazlewood bouncer and was stumped by the quick-thinking Carey who threw the ball back at the wicket with the England batter out of his crease.
Third-umpire replays showed the batter had no choice but to walk, yet the manner of the dismissal led to loud boos ringing out from the partisan Lord's crowd, while Australian players David Warner and Usman Khawaja had to be separated from spectators in the Long Room by security due to a verbal confrontation as the players left the pitch for lunch.
On the field, new England batter Broad showed his combative nature by giving as good as he got to his opponents in the verbal stakes, but Stokes seemed oblivious to everything going on around him as he crushed three consecutive sixes off Cameron Green to pass his century and reach lunch on 108 not out, with England 243-6 and needing 128 runs to win.
Stokes leads the charge, but England fall short
Stokes carried on where he left off in the afternoon, despatching Hazlewood for six over long-on with only the second delivery of the afternoon. Then, though, he was given a huge let-off when Smith dropped him at backwards square leg on 114 off the last ball of the over.
Although it was his power-hitting, including a one-handed hook for six off Hazlewood, which was wowing the crowd, a single which took England to under 100 runs from victory in the 62nd over was appreciated just as much.
Starc was summarily smacked for back-to-back sixes four overs later by the 32-year-old as he and batting partner Broad put on a century stand for the seventh wicket in just 93 balls, followed by Stokes reaching 150 in the 69th over with a well-run two.
However, a clearly relieved Hazlewood finally got England's key man with the hosts still needing 70 runs for victory as Stokes edged one which popped up to Carey, with new batter Ollie Robinson making just one before holing out to Smith on the boundary off Pat Cummins' bowling.
He was soon followed by Broad, caught by Green off Hazlewood for 11, and although Josh Tongue (19), who survived a DRS review for a caught behind on nine and hooked Green for four, offered some resistance he was ultimately cleaned bowled by one of the crowd's pantomime villains Starc to bring the game to a close.
What's next?
The teams must quickly regroup and head north to Leeds for the third Test at Headingley, which starts on Thursday, July 6. That match is live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10am, with the first ball at 11am. Also stream on NOW.
