On Day 2 of the last Test match of the Ashes 2023 series, England has been phenomenal with their bowling, especially Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes, and Mark Wood. Australia has been all out for 295, with a slender lead of 12 runs. Steve Smith made 71 runs, which could be very crucial for Australia.
Australian batters disappoint, and England bowlers rock – this has been the story of Day 2. Another controversial decision was made by the 3rd umpire, Nitin Menon, who gave ‘not out’ to Steve Smith which raised a lot of eye-brows. The match is being played at the Kennington Oval, London.
Top Performer of the Day
However, when Smith was batting at a score of 42, he attempted a double run after playing a shot to mid-wicket. While running for the second run, Jonny Bairstow dislodged the bails before fully collecting the ball, and Smith was just inches short of the crease. In the first replay, it showed that Smith was out without any doubt, but he stayed on the ground for the final decision. During the run-out review, frame by frame, Nitin Menon showed no hurry while making the decision and played the replays one after another, eventually declaring Smith not out, which sparked controversy.
Two Australian tail-ender batters played the match-saving Cameo innings with their flawless batting. Todd Murphy and Pat Cummins scored 34 and 36 runs, respectively. The 49-run partnership between these batsmen not only saved Australia but also helped their team secure a mere lead of 12 runs, which didn’t seem possible at one stage. Todd Murphy’s innings included 2 fours and 3 sixes, with all sixes coming against Mark Wood.
Australia Lost the Opportunity to Take a Big Lead
Australia started Day 2 with 9 wickets in hand and 222 runs behind. At the end of Day 2, they scored just 234 runs, playing all the overs. This shows how slow things went for the visitors, courtesy of Marnus Labuschagne’s extremely slow innings. He got caught in slips by Joe Root, who pulled off probably the catch of the match with one hand. Labuschagne scored 9 runs in 82 balls with a strike rate of 10.9. Also, not to forget the unhurried innings of Usman Khawaja, who took 157 balls to score 47 runs.
Australia got the perfect opportunity to seal the deal in the first innings itself, but somehow they have been very slow throughout their innings and didn’t take advantage of the perfect batting conditions at The Oval on Day 2, with the bright sun shining above the pitch. Australia must feel relaxed to score just 12 runs more than England’s first innings total, but the hosts must be very pleased to restrict the Aussies from taking a big lead.
What to Expect on Day 3
England’s openers will take the fresh guard on the morning of Day 3 and have to start from scratch. To wipe off the 12 run lead, England will waste no time and quickly score those lead runs. They will then immediately start aiming for the target they want to set for the visitors.
Ben Stokes would be aiming for the 300 run target, which could be a very challenging total for the visitors, considering the intent they have shown in the first innings. Will England be able to score 300 runs, or will Australia restrict the hosts from setting a huge target for themselves? England has the last opportunity to draw the series, and to do that, a bazball approach must be the mantra for the hosts.
Also Read: Ashes 2023: Harry Brook Dictates The Terms On A Disappointing Outing For England