Australia asserted their dominance on Day 3 of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, while England faced widespread criticism from fans and former cricketers for their disappointing batting collapse. Starting the day at 278/4, England lost six wickets for just 47 runs, drawing criticism from cricket greats like Geoffrey Boycott and Michael Vaughan.
In the second innings, Australia made an impressive start, ending the day at 130/2 before rain brought early stumps. With a lead of 221 runs, Australia will aim to push England further on the backfoot on Day 4, as former captain Ricky Ponting advised them to set an unachievable target to quash England’s hopes of an unlikely victory.
During the third day’s opening session, England suffered a disappointing batting collapse, losing six wickets for just 47 runs. This collapse drew significant criticism from fans and former cricketers, including Geoffrey Boycott and Michael Vaughan. England’s aggressive approach, called ‘Bazball,’ came under scrutiny as several batsmen were perceived to have given away their wickets cheaply.
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting weighed in on England’s intentions to win the game and advised Australia to set an extremely challenging target for the hosts. Ponting suggested that if England claimed to be playing for a victory, he would make the target “ridiculous” and make it as unachievable as possible, forcing England to go all out in pursuit of an improbable win.
“Everything we hear from England is that they will not be happy with a draw. They’re going to do everything to try and win the game. If I’m Australia, I’m batting as long as I can and setting the most ridiculous total. They said they would try to win. I will make it unachievable; let them go as hard as possible,” Ponting said on Sky Sports.
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With a lead of 221 runs in the second innings at Lord’s, Australia is in a strong position to double their lead in the five-match series. England’s aggressive approach and batting collapse have put them on the back foot, while Australia’s bowlers, led by captain Pat Cummins, have controlled the game. It is worth noting that, under the leadership of Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, England has not faced a series of defeats thus far.
