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Live Commentary: The Ashes - Second Test, Day Four - as it happened

Relive Sports Mole's live coverage of the fourth day of the second Test in the 2015 Ashes series at Lord's.
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Australia have leveled the Ashes series with an emphatic 405-run win over England in the second Test at Lord's, securing victory with a day to spare.

The tourists declared shortly before lunch to leave England chasing 509 for victory.

The home side collapsed in the afternoon though, losing five wicket before tea, while two more fell in the first over after the break before they were bowled out for 103, led by Stuart Broad with 25.

Read how all the action unfolded below.


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Good morning! It's around half an hour until David Warner and Chris Rogers head back out to continue Australia's charge towards a big lead in the second Test. It's safe to assume there will be a declaration from the tourists at some point today, barring a spectacular collapse this morning.

If you missed yesterday's action, England were bowled out for 312 while chasing Australia's first innings score of 566-8 declared. Michael Clarke chose not to put the home side straight back in, allowing Rogers to reach 44 before stumps, while Warner will resume on an unbeaten 60 this morning.

The weather conditions could play into England's hands a little this morning as they try to slow Australia's progress. There have been a few showers around Lord's overnight, so there could still be a bit of moisture in the outfield, which will slow the ball. The cloud is forecast to hang around throughout the morning, which will also help the bowlers, but it will get brighter and warmer as the day goes on.

It looks like Moeen Ali could be called into action early on this morning, as he's been going through a thorough warmup ahead of the start of play. The spinner claimed just one wicket for 138 runs in the first innings:


Speaking to BBC Test Match Special this morning, England all-rounder Ben Stokes said: "Saturday was a tough day. We know that we're probably going to have to bat 150 overs on day four and day five to save the game. We lost some cheap wickets in the first innings and we've got to be more disciplined and more correct as a batting unit. It's a bit of an up-and-down pitch, but I don't think it's changed since the first ball - there's not much turn so I think it's a pretty decent wicket."
A dejected Ben 'Mr' Stokes walks off the field on day three of the Second Test of The Ashes on July 18, 2015© Getty Images

Meanwhile, Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh believes that captain Michael Clarke will be looking for another 100-150 runs before declaring: "Hopefully we can bat well and really put England under pressure [today] and on day five. "I'm sure Michael has a total in mind, but I'm not sure [what it is]. I imagine it will be around the 450 to 500 mark."

As you can see, the cloud is already moving away from Lord's, it looks like it's going to be bright conditions for the start of play:


It will be interesting to see if Michael Clarke makes any changes to his batting order. Steve Smith would be due in next, but with a knock of 215 in the first innings from the vice-captain, Clarke could moving himself up to three, as he has struggled for runs so far in this series. Mitchell Marsh also struggled in the first innings with a knock of 12, but Clarke might be keen to keep him fresh to attack with the ball once England are in to bat again.

The Australian batsmen are waiting at the boundary rope to get the action back underway, and the England side make their way out through the long room.

James Anderson warms up ready to bowl the first over of the day as the umpire calls play.

It's a solid start to the day for Australia as David Warner nudges the ball away off his pads for a leg bye, before a single and a boundary moves Chris Rogers on to 49. He can't get another single off the final ball of the over though, so will have to wait to try to complete his half-century.

Mark Wood starts the day from the Nursery End, and his first four balls are all clipped away for no run by Warner. The umpires want to take a look at the ball to make sure that it hasn't lost its shape, but it passes the test, allowing Wood to deliver a couple more dot ball for a maiden.

There are worrying scenes for Australia as Chris Rogers has slumped to his knees looking rather woozy. He took a ball to the helmet in the first innings, and was ruled fit to continue, but he's looking rather disorientated and unbalanced. It looks like his innings might be done, with Steve Smith getting padded up.

So, Rogers is indeed heading off just one run short of the half-century. Steve Smith marches out to join David Warner in the middle. Rogers has walked off completely under his own weight, but he does still look rather shaky. Hopefully he'll have time to recover before he's needed in the field.

Smith wasted no time getting off the mark, driving the ball through the gap to run for three, with Stuart Broad stopping the ball just short of the rope. A quick single from Warner brings the new batsman back on strike, and he finished the over with a boundary.

This was Chris Rogers as he received treatment for what appeared to be a dizzy spell. With the exception of Steve Smith, Rogers has probably spent more time on the field than any other player in this Test, batting for almost four session in the first innings, while spending almost a day in the field, and coming back out to bat yesterday afternoon, so it's understandable that he may be a bit drained:


David Warner powers the ball away square for a boundary to keep the score moving, before hitting a run of dot balls. England have a more attacking field for Warner than Smith at the minute, suggesting that Cook sees him as the more vulnerable of the two, despite Smith only just coming to the crease.

Smith has obviously come out on a mission to get the score up as soon as possible as he slices another ball away for four, taking him to 11 off just nine balls, but he can't find another gap before the end of the over.

Smith and Warner both pick up a single early on in the over before the latter is slightly late going for a pull shot. It's right at Joe Root, but is too high for the batsman to make the catch, leaving Warner to run for another single off the next ball.

Moeen Ali takes over from James Anderson at the pavilion end. An inside edge on the second ball almost result in Steve Smith dragging the ball onto his stumps, but it just misses, allowing the batsmen to run for three. After running for a quick two off the next delivery, Warner finishes the over with another ball through to the boundary, but Root stops it going for four. It's nine off the over for Australia though. A costly start from Moeen.

The Aussie batsmen punish Mark Wood now, with Warner picking up a four before nudging the ball away for a single. Smith hits one over the top, which doesn't quite go for six, but it does make it to the rope for another boundary. Smith now has 19 off 18 deliveries, while Warner is just 21 off his ton.

Steve Smith looks like a batsman full of confidence as he slices the ball just past the slips for four more. Australia are now 412 ahead, so it looks like England could be batting shortly after lunch if the tourists continue to score at this rate.

Stuart Broad is thrown the ball for the first time today, replacing Mark Wood at the nursery end. Warner had some problems against Broad in the first Test, but he quickly gets off strike with a tap through the off-side. Smith gets across the wicket to sweep the ball away for three, while the batsmen show their pace between the wickets for two more off the next delivery.

WICKET! WARNER (83) C COOK B MOEEN

There will be no century at Lord's for David Warner this time as he gets a top edge of a turning delivery from Moeen Ali, knocking it straight to Alastair Cook at cover.

Michael Clarke takes Warner's spot at the crease, and is off the mark on the first ball of is innings, sprinting for a single, while Smith also adds another run off the final ball of the over from Moeen Ali. England will be happy with that over though, having picked up their first wicket of the innings.

Australia have issued an update on Chris Rogers condition after he had to retire just two overs into this morning's session. The opener reported that his head was spinning, resulting in him calling for treatment from the team's physio and doctor, who have described the incident as a "dizzy spell". Rogers has had a concussion recently during the tour of the Caribbean, and was hit by a bouncer in the first innings, so it will be interesting to see if he is able to play a part in the field later.
Chris Rogers of Australia celebrates his century with teammate Steven Smith during day one of the second Ashes Test at Lord's on July 16, 2015© Getty Images

Smith is having some fun in the middle as he attacks a wider delivery from Broad, before firing another effort through cover for four.

Clarke is on the attack as he hooks the ball high away for four. Smith also goes for a bit hit straight back down the ground, with it bouncing just short of the rope before crossing for four.

After the drinks break, Broad continues, delivering a yorker to Clarke, before the Australia captain finds the gap on the offside for a single. For the second time this morning, England get the umpires to check the shape of the ball, but they insist that it's fine, so Broad continues. Broad comes over the wicket to test Smith with something a bit different, but the batsman flicks it away to to the offside for two.

Moeen Ali is still being hit around by the Australians as Smith and Clarke continue to keep the scoreboard moving. Smith is now on 42 off just 39 deliveries, while the skipper has a run per ball off the 14 that he has faced so far.

HALF-CENTURY! Smith is closing in on a half-century as he pulls the ball away for a boundary, moving him on to 48. He moves past the 50-run mark off the next delivery, moving across the stumps to slice the ball behind for four more. He makes a similar shot off the next ball to force England to change the field, but he still adds a single off the final ball of the over.

WICKET! SMITH (58) B MOEEN

Steve Smith's fast-scoring innings has come to an end as he mis-reads a straighter delivery from Moeen Ali, leaving it to go straight through and remove his bails, giving the spinner his second wicket of the innings.

Mitchell Marsh comes in at five as Adam Voges is still struggling with a hip injury picked up in the field. He has just one ball to face, and blocks well.

Joe Root is coming into the attack for a bowl, with spin clearly working well down the other end. Clarke wastes no time hitting the Yorkshireman to the boundary though. A single brings Marsh back on strike, and he's soon off the mark as he and Clarke sprint between the wickets for a quick two. Root goes for nine off the over.

It's a tidy over for Moeen Ali, with Marsh and Clarke each just picking up a single. Australia are now 475 ahead, so a declaration over lunch would certainly be an option for the tourists.

Root continues from the nursery end, conceding a single off every delivery. Marsh has settled quickly since taking the place of Smith a couple of overs ago, scoring seven from the first 10 deliveries that he has faced.

Adam Lyth has a chance at a run out as he fires the ball towards the stumps to try to end Clarke's innings, but Moeen Ali tries to catch is and go for the stumping, dropping the ball. Lyth isn't happy as it looked like his throw was on target, and the captain would have been gone, but both he and Marsh survive.

Mitchell Marsh adds his first boundary of the innings, before picking up a single, which brings Michael Clarke back on strike, and he adds a couple more. It doesn't look like there is going to be a declaration before lunch, as the Australian players sat on the balcony are all still in their warm-up clothes, except Steve Smith who is still in his whites. Mitchell Johnson looks like he might be having a nap on the railing!

DECLARATION! Just as it looks like Australia will be going through until lunch, they head off! Mitchell Marsh is really teeing off now, hitting back-to-back sixes, and at the end of the over, Michael Clarke signals to the umpires that he has had enough.

So, Australia have a lead of 508, while England have just over five full sessions to chase down a target of 509 for victory, or play for the draw. There should be time for around three or four overs before lunch.

David Warner finished as the top scorer in the second innings for Australia with a knock of 83. Steve Smith hit an impressive 58, while Chris Rogers would have surely gone on to complete a half-century had he not been forced to retire after suffering a dizzy spell while on 49.
Australia's David Warner in action during day two of the First Test of The Ashes on July 9, 2015© Getty Images

Australia have quickly changed into their whites, and are back on the field ready for England's second innings. Alastair Cook and Adam Lyth soon follow them out.

Mitchell Starc limbers up to deliver the first over of the innings. Michael Clarke has four slips in place as the tourists put Adam Lyth under pressure, but he blocks the first ball well. The opener gets his first run on the board off the third ball of the over, while Cook sweeps the ball away to the boundary for four. There's a half-appeal for lbw against the England captain as Starc hits him on the pad, but there was an edge, so England make it to the end of the over unscathed. Incidentally, Chris Rogers is not on the field following his dizzy spell earlier, so Shaun Marsh is on as a substitute fielder.

Josh Hazlewood has the ball down the other end, and sees his first three balls go for no runs, before Lyth gets a single, as does Cook off the final ball of the over to keep the strike for what should be the last over before lunch.

LUNCH! Mitchell Marsh gets down low to block a drive from Cook, which looked like it could have made it to the boundary. Starc finishes with a maiden, failing to force Cook to play at the final three balls of the over, leaving England to reach lunch with the opening partnership intact.

So, as Alastair Cook and Adam Lyth head off for the lunch break, closely followed by the fielding team, it's time for Sports Mole to take a break too. Join us again in around 30 minutes for the afternoon session on day four.

Right then, the players will be heading back out for the afternoon session in the next few minutes. It's started to cloud over at Lord's during the interval, which could be helpful for Australia as with cloud tends to come swing. It could be a tricky start to the session for Cook and Lyth.

There are enough overs left in the match for England to give themselves a chance for victory, but it's a tall order to expect the home side to keep enough wickets in hand. They would have to break all sorts of records just to stand a chance of a draw at this point. However, another 502 runs would hand England the most unlikely of wins.

Australia are just making their way back out to the middle, where they will shortly be followed by Alastair Cook and Adam Lyth. The ball is just three overs old, so will still be like new when the action gets back underway.

Josh Hazlewood, who didn't bat in either innings for Australia, continues with the ball from the nursery end. After blocking the first three balls, Lyth finds the boundary rope for the first time in this test. A single off the next ball brings Cook on strike, on the captain slices the ball towards short leg, where there is a fielder, but he can't take the catch, so Cook survives.

WICKET! LYTH (7) C NEVILLE B STARC

Adam Lyth gets out to a similar ball that tripped him up in the first innings as he edged a shorter Mitchell Starc delivery back for a comfortable catch by the wicketkeeper. The ball was swinging away from the batsman, and could have been left, but Lyth doesn't spot the danger.

It's a wicket maiden for Mitchell Starc as Gary Ballance replaces Lyth at the crease, blocking the three remaining deliveries in the over.

It's another maiden, this time from Hazlewood with Cook on strike. The captain survives his second lbw shout of the series, as Hazlewood lands a delivery on his pad, but it had pitched outside and looked to be going over. This has been a stuttering restart after a promising display before lunch from England.

Ballance has a chance to get off the mark, and does so with a delicate flick away to his right for a single. A wider ball from Starc is quickly dispatched for four by Cook, while another outswinging effort forces a diving block from Neville to prevent byes. Meanwhile, Nathan Lyon has been doing some very deliberate stretching, possibly hinting to Clarke that he would like a bowl soon.

Hazlewood continues his consistent line and length, but Ballance manages to flick the ball away on the offside for a boundary. Meanwhile, Cook has called for a new bat after appearing to damage his.

WICKET! COOK (11) C NEVILLE B JOHNSON

Australia change their attack for the first time, with Mitchell Johnson taking over from Mitchell Starc at the pavilion end. It immediately pays off as Cook plays a lazy shot, edging the ball straight back to Neville, who takes his second catch for a dismissal in this innings.

Ian Bell gets off to a bright start as he takes Cooks place, luckily edging the ball just over the stumps for four. That clearly irks Johnson as he follows it up with a bouncer, which Bell just manages to duck out the way off.

Both batsmen get a single early in the over as Hazlewood continues his spell, before Ballance tries to squeeze the ball past fine leg, but only manages to pick up one as Mitchell Marsh makes the stop.

After claiming a wicket in his first over, Mitchell Johnson gets a maiden as he tries to rough Gary Ballance up, catching him on the arm with one delivery, before upping the pace. Meanwhile, Chris Rogers is sat on the balcony outside the Australia dressing room, watching on after suffering a dizzy spell earlier.

Bell latches onto a rare wider ball from Hazlewood, flicking it away for a boundary. The bowler goes back to his usual consistent line for the rest of the over, forcing a run of defensive shots from Bell.

Bell wafts his bat at a swinging delivery from Johnson, just avoiding edging it back to Neville, who has had an excellent Test keeping wicket. Bell really seems to be struggling against Johnson as the Australian paceman continually looks for Bell's offstump, but he survives the over.

Mitchell Starc comes back into the attack, this time from the nursey end as he replaces Hazlewood. A wide ball is easy picking for Ballance though as he clips it through cover for four.

Bell has looked uncomfortable against Johnson, so quickly gets himself off strike with a flick to the legside for a single. He's back facing Johnson for the final ball of the over, and the bowler makes some changes to the field before rifling a 90mph delivery towards Bell, but he just gets the bat out of the way in time.

Mitchell Starc delivers his sixth over of the innings, with his first five balls being blocked by Ballance. The England number three gets the ball away with the final ball of the over though, picking up a single.

WICKET! BALLANCE (14) C NEVILLE B MARSH

Mitchell Marsh takes over from Mitchell Johnson and gets Gary Ballance out with his first ball as the batsman edges the ball back to Neville. All three wickets have resulted from a catch by the wicketkeeper.
England's batsman Gary Ballance reacts after scoring his half-century (50 runs) during day three of the second Test cricket match between the West Indies and England at the Grenada National Stadium in Saint George's on April 23, 2015© Getty Images

Ballance's dismissal brings Joe Root to the crease. All too often for England, Root has had to be the saviour when wickets have fallen early, but he managed just one in the first innings. He makes a couple of sensible blocks, before getting on the wrong side of a bouncer from Marsh, which hits on the grill of his helmet, which he now needs to replace.

Mitchel Starc bowls his third maiden of the innings as Bell makes a run of blocks. Bell still doesn't look like he's really settled, and has been stuck on 10 for quite a while now.

Having been off the field during Marsh's over, Mitchell Johnson immediately returns to the attack from the pavilion end, and tests Joe Root, who was hit with the last ball that he faced, with a bouncer. Root has to dive to get out of the way of another shot one. He gets himself off strike and off the mark with a single, leaving Bell to duck out the way of the final ball of the over.

Nathan Lyon prepares for his first over of the day, and sees Root pick up a single from the opening delivery. Bell has five balls to try to end his stint of being stuck on 10, but he has five dot balls, leaving him with 10 off 11.

DROPPED! Ian Bell is lucky as he edges the ball behind him. It's too wide for Neville, but carries through to Adam Voges at first slip, but he can't quite hold on to it, allowing Bell to scurry for a single. Root has been facing some shorter balls from Johnson, but manages to get himself to the non-striker's end to leave Bell facing a couple more. Johnson comes around the wicket, but can't force another mistake from Bell.

Nathan Lyon continues down the other end, and Root continues to pick up quick singles, slicing the ball away early in the over, before leaving Bell to defend.

Australia are clearly trying to keep Joe Root under pressure as Johnson continues to delivery short fast balls at the batsman. He edges one high straight above him, but there's no-one there to make a catch. Root is content just to keep himself out of the way of the remaining three deliveries, giving Johnson a maiden.

Runs are coming few and far between at the moment for England as Nathan Lyon bowls his third over of the innings, and secures his second maiden, with Bell making a series of blocks. England's number four is 47 balls into his innings now, but still looks pretty unsettled.

Mitchell Marsh returns to the attack in place of Mitchell Johnson. Bell takes a huge swing trying to get the pull shot away, but narrowly misses it, leaving it to go straight through to the keeper, giving Australia a third straight maiden. Root and Bell's defensive play is understandable, with over two hours of batting still to come today, another wicket before tea would leave Australia sensing a chance to rip through the lower order after tea.

WICKET! BELL (11) C SUB B LYON

Ian Bell has never looked comfortable today, and after three maidens in a row the pressure has taken its toll, forcing the batsman to nervously slice a Nathan Lyon ball to substitute fielder Shaun Marsh with a top edge.

Bell's dismissal brings the in-form Ben Stokes out to the middle. He can't get off zero in the three remaining balls in the over, but leaves one ball which ends up going for four byes.

WICKET! STOKES (0) RUN OUT JOHNSON

A fantastic bit of fielding from Mitchell Johnson has the dangerous Ben Stokes back in the pavilion for a duck. Johnson fires the ball in from mid off for a direct hit on the stumps, and Stokes has completely forgotten to get his bat down as he crossed the line, so he's gone! While it is a stunning throw from Johnson, Stokes will be disappointed when he watches that back, as he would have been fine if his bat had been down.

Jos Buttler is the newest batsman in, and is almost out first ball as he edges a high ball, but it's just too high for the fielder and runs away for four. He turns to the legside with the final ball of the over, and once again finds the gap for another boundary.

TEA! In the final over before tea, England pick up four more runs, with a single from Root followed by a Buttler three. Buttler now has 11 runs off just eight deliveries in a promising start just before the break. England will be hoping he can continue that form in the evening session.

So, at tea, England are still 444 runs behind. There will be plenty of concern in the dressing room though, as five wickets fell in the afternoon, giving Australia hope that they will be able to wrap this match up today.

Australia have certainly shared the workload, with the three Mitchells and Nathan Lyon each picking up one wicket, while Johnson also took a run out. Josh Hazlewood had come close a couple of times, and will almost certainly be coming back into the attack after tea, having been rested for the second half of the afternoon session.

Joe Root has had to survive a difficult spell, with Michael Clarke seemingly leaving Mitchell Johnson in the attack specifically to test the batsman. He survived a bouncer to the helmet in the first over that he faced, and has come under pressure from a few more bouncers, but has worked incredibly hard for his five runs so far. He and Buttler will need to build a partnership if England are to make it to the end of day four.

The players are getting ready to make their way back out for the evening session.

WICKET! BUTTLER (11) C NEVILLE B JOHNSON

Jos Buttler looked impressive in the final couple of overs before tea, but he falls to the first ball of the evening session from Mitchell Johnson, getting the slightest edge on the ball to knock it back to Peter Neville, who picks up his fourth catch of the innings.
Australia's Mitchell Johnson celebrates a wicket during day two of the second Ashes Test at Lord's on July 17, 2015© Getty Images

WICKET! MOEEN (0) C SUB B JOHNSON

Moeen Ali probably wasn't expecting to be involved quite so soon after tea as he makes his way out to the crease. He faces a short ball from Johnson first, before the bowler calls for Neville to catch, but it looked like the ball struck his jumper rather than bat or glove. It doesn't matter though, as the all-rounder hits the ball straight at substitute fielder Shaun Marsh, who takes his second catch of the innings. It's still the first over after tea, and England have already lost two wickets! Just devastatingly brilliant bowling from Mitchell Johnson.

Stuart Broad faces a short bouncing ball with the final delivery of the over, keeping his bat out the way to leave Johnson with a double wicket maiden straight after tea. Australia now need just three wickets for victory.

Nathan Lyon continues from the nursery end, but Root quickly flicks the ball away for four. It's a risky shot, but he makes it work. He goes for a sweep on the next shot, but Mitchell Marsh is there to stop it reaching the boundary again.

Stuart Broad manages to get off the mark as he drives the ball away. It doesn't quite reach the boundary, but he and Root run for three, before Root picks up a single. Broad mid-reads a short ball from Johnson, but manages to flick it over Neville and first slip for a four, before clearing the slips again with the final ball of the over. Saving the match might be beyond England now, but Stuart Broad is certainly giving the Lord's crowd something to cheer about.

Broad continues to attack, finding the boundary rope again, before giving Adam Voges a chance to catch him out, but he just loses track of the ball as he heads towards him, resulting in the ball dropping short.

Johnson tees the ball up nicely for Root, leaving the batsman with a comfortable pull shot for four. The bowler makes it difficult for Root for the rest of the over, leaving him with five dot balls.

WICKET! BROAD (25) C VOGES B LYON

It's been an entertaining cameo from Broad, but he goes for one big shot too many, lobbing the ball straight at Adam Voges, who put one down a few minutes ago, but tracks this one all the way.

WICKET! ROOT (17) B HAZLEWOOD

Josh Hazlewood replaces Mitchell Johnson at the pavilion end, and it doesn't take him long to send Joe Root packing with a straight seaming delivery which takes his bales off. Australia need just one more wicket for victory.

England now have their 10th and 11th batsmen in Mark Wood and James Anderson both at the crease on zero. Anderson has the final three balls of Hazlewood's over to face, and he just about survives, despite waving his bat at a wider delivery off the final ball.

Mark Wood blocks three deliveries in a row from Lyon, before clipping the ball to the offside for a single. The field moves in as Anderson takes up the strike, but he carefully leaves the final ball of the over.

WICKET! ANDERSON (0) B HAZLEWOOD

AUSTRALIA WIN BY 405 RUNS!

Mark Wood leaves James Anderson to face just one delivery from Hazlewood, but another low straight delivery from the seamer find the stumps, securing an emphatic win for the tourists, which levels the series.

Steve Smith claims one of the stumps before leading Australia off the field. His knock of 215 in the first innings really set the tone for the Aussies throughout this match.
Steve Smith leaves the field after being dismissed during during day two of the First Test of The Ashes on July 9, 2015© Getty Images

So, that's all from the second Test at Lord's, and there's a 10-day break for England to regroup and Australia to enjoy their win before the third match gets underway at Edgbaston. Stick around for plenty of reaction from both sides over the next few hours, and join us again on July 29 to see if either side can take control of the series in Birmingham. Until the, thanks for joining me today. Goodbye!

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Australia's Mitchell Marsh (L) celebrates bowling out Englands Captain Alastair Cook (down) on the third day of the second Ashes cricket test match between England and Australia at Lord's cricket ground in London, on July 18, 2015
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