Australia win toss, bat first in second Ashes test

Australia have made couple of changes for this Test. Shane Watson, who had a horrid time with the bat in 1st Test misses out and all-rounder Mitchell Marsh is set to take his place.

“There’s been a feelgood factor in the summer, after a very good one day series and good test series against New Zealand”, Cook told reporters at Lord’s on Wednesday.

After their chastening defeat in Cardiff, Australia needed to put together a solid batting performance and lay down a platform and they did all that and more on a flat, slow pitch ideal for batting. They will hope that Australia try to push on too quickly and lose wickets. Smith and Rogers broke an 85-year-old record by Don Bradman and Bill Woodfull, when Bradman scored 254, and shared a partnership of 231 with Woodfull.

Warner struck 7 fours before England captain Alastair Cook brought on spinner Moeen Ali.

Mitch Marsh drove his first ball from Broad past mid-off for four but was soon undone when he went back to one that did not make the expected height, and induced the chop-on.

Smith is busy as ever and Rogers is taking it cool. Ian Bell, in particular, should have caught Smith at second slip on 51, but he could not hold on to the low chance. The surface there was equally slow, but the occasional ball would stop on the batsman or climb out of nowhere, meaning England could pitch the ball up and have men positioned for the drive. David Warner and Chris Rogers have started fluently. He was quick to encourage his term though as he added “But series are not played on paper, it’s what people deliver”.

Nevill, speaking before playing in Australia’s warm-up fixture against county side Essex, said: “I need to be on top of my game and ready to go should that opportunity arise”.

“It’s hard to say”, he said.

From that point on the Middlesex captain looked in complete control at his adopted home ground.

Alastair Cook wants England to keep riding the feel-good factor and show their ruthless side by putting Australia to the sword at Lord’s. After that, he offered little to England.

“They don’t like losing”, he said after the Cardiff game. “I could have been out for a duck and, instead, I’m sitting here with 150 not out”.

“If I was Australia, I’d bat sensibly and that’d give them the best part of 90 runs by lunch”.

“It’s the love-hate thing that we have with England”, he said. Wicket-keeper Brad Haddin also withdrew from the second Test owing to personal reasons.

When Langer began to coach WA, he taught the players not to celebrate each win in a way that could come between them and their ultimate goal, a Sheffield Shield.

Australia accelerated as the bowlers exhausted.

He hit nine boundaries and a straight six off Moeen Ali into the members’ seating in front of the pavilion in his 161-ball century.

Tea was taken after Lyth’s one and only over, with Australia 191-1 and the big question being whether Rogers or Smith would reach three figures first.

Smith acknowledged that winning the toss had been crucial.