Jofra Archer has been menacing in his debut Test so farEngland vs Australia 2nd Test, Day 4 Highlights: England have ended Day 4 with a lead of 104 runs and six wickets in hand in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s on Saturday. Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes will resume batting for the hosts on the morning of Day 5. Australia were dismissed with a deficit of 8 runs earlier in the day, with the highlight of that innings being a duel for the ages between Steve Smith (92) and Jofra Archer. Smith led the Aussie resistance, had to retire hurt after being struck by a bouncer frpm Archer, only to return with two boundaries in one over.
England seemed to be on the verge of crisis a few times in the evening session on Day 4, but Stokes and Buttler, sometimes batting against their attacking instincts, saw through the innings till rain forced a premature end to the day’s proceedings.
Stumps
Stumps! Umpires signal a slightly premature end of play as rain starts lashing Lord's. Stokes and Buttler survive till the end of Day 4. England lead by 104 runs with 6 wickets left. All three results still possible on Day 5.
Lead of 100
Lead of 100 comes up for England. Stokes and Buttler weathering the storm admirably but Lyon is getting vicous turn and what's more Cummins is getting some movement in the air.
Update on Smith
Update: Steve Smith has gone for the scans and it revealed no fracture on his left arm and he is declared fit to bat. Since the injury was an external one, he can bat at his normal position.
Last half hour
Cummins is back in the attack as we are set for a last 30 minutes of classic Test cricket. Stokes and Buttler up against it as they fight to stave off crisis. England are leading by 86 runs at the moment but 2 wickets today could leave Australia chasing a target less than 150 with one whole day to play.
4th wicket
Siddle gets another! Another Aussie bowler gets two wickets n quick succession. Burns's struggling stay at the crease comes to and end for 29. Could England find themselves in crisis again? They are 74/4, leading by 83 runs, with presumably another 10 overs or so to be played today. Stokes and Buttler are out there. Imperative for England that they see out the day. This match is approaching a thrilling finish.
Denly is out
The third wicket comes. And it is Denly's resistance which comes to an end. Again, a caught and bowled dismissal by Siddle. Stokes strides out to join Burns. ENG 65/3
England recover
There has been little let-up in the pressure the Aussies are exerting but Denly and Burns have ensured that no further damage is incoming. The score had been 9/2 when these two had come together. Back then, it had looked like we were very close to a batting collapse. But no, these two have put on a 50 run stand now and have averted the clear and present danger for the home team.
England under the cosh
Three slips and a gully in place as Australia go their change bowlers. Siddle and Lyon bowling in tandem now. 22 runs and 2 wickets in the last 10 overs. Cummins and Hazlewood gave no inches to the England batsmen in their spell. Siddle finds an edge off Denly's bat but Warner drops it. England are still under the cosh. Can they survive the rest of today?
England tentative
Denly and Burns are going about their job very carefully here. Cummins's double blow and the resistance offered by Smith and the Aussie lower order has thrown England off balance. They are very close to giving he game up here. Another cheap wicket or two will leave Australia with a real chance of going 2-0 up at Lord's.
Cummins on hat-trick
Root is out for a golden duck! That is incidentally his first golden duck in Test cricket. Caught behind. Pat Cummins gets 2 wickets in 2 balls as England begin the 2nd innings in shambolic fashion. The Australians are ecstatic. They sense a real opening here. Joe Denly comes out at No.4 and averts the hat-trick. ENG lead by 17 runs
WICKET
Australi strike! Roy is gone for 2. Caught and bowled dismissal by Cummins. The short ball getting Roy in trouble that time. ENG 9/1
Update: Steve Smith is not fielding for Australia in the second innings because he is having an X-ray on his left arm. Was in a lot of pain after being hit on the forearm by Archer during his knock of 92.
England begin
Jason Roy and Rory Burns begin England's second innings. Hazlewood and Cummins start from either end for Australia. Will be interesting to see the approach from either team. Do they go for the win or do they go for the more conservative approach? There's a long way to go in this year's Ashes yet. The first boundary of the econd innings comes off Burns's bat. Slashed past backward point for four. England lead by 15 runs.
All three results possible
Around 125 overs left in the match. England will begin the second innings with a narrow lead of 8 runs. The chance of a win for either side is a very realistic option. The conditions have favoured bowlers markedly in a few passages of play in this match. If conditions stay the same, and we get the full 125 overs, all three results are possible.
Enf of innings
Australia are all out for 250. Cummins the last man to go. Cramped for room, he lets a catch go through to Bairstow. England to resume after Tea with a lead of 8 runs. The duel between Smith and Archer was the highlight of that session.
Wicket
Lyon falls. Lbw. Jack Leach gets his first wicket. Australia are 9 down with a trail of 12 runs. 3 wickets have come in the last 10 overs. England are finally getting their feet in the door. Cummins has played quite an important knock today. He is still there, leading this resistance from the Australian lower order. AUS 246/9
Hazlewood the new man in. Can Australia take their 10th wicket stand through to the tea interval? We're not far away now.
Smith is out
Steve Smith is out for 92! An outstanding innings comes to an end. Woakes gets him. Has been punished by Smith since he has come back on, but it is Woakes who has the last laugh. Gets him out lbw with an inswinger. Australia trail by 24 runs.
Smith moves into his 90s
Smith moves into his 90s with another four of Woakes. There seemed to have been anothr four off his bat previously in the over as well but he indicated to the umpire that it had gone off his pads. If this knock needed any more reasons to be an unforgettable knock from the Australian Wall.
Smith is back!
Steve Smith is back after being retired hurt. Siddle is caught off Woakes's bowling and England's nemesis returns to the crease. And punishes England straightaway. Two fours in the over by Smith. The score had been stuck for a long while. Those two shots might throw the shackles off.
Cricket Australia statement: Steve was hit on the neck below the left ear. He was assessed lying on the pitch at the instructions of team doctor Richard Saw.
Smith off as a precaution
Smith did not want to walk off but physios insisted that he be looked at for concussion or other damage. That bouncer from Archer, bowled at 92.4 mph, smashed into Smith's neck-jaw area. Siddle and Cummins are weathering the storm now. AUS 218/6 after 84 overs. They now trail by 40 runs.
Smith is retired hurt
Steve Smith has walked off the field after being hit by a Jofra Archer bouncer. Physios of both teams run onto the field. Players gather round in concern. We will need to wait on updates on Smith's injury but he is to play no more part for now. The Lord's crowd gives Smith a standing ovation as he walks off. He ha walked off with an unbeaten 80. Siddle walks out to join Cummins. Australia still trail by 40 runs.
Smith gets extra protection
Smith is wearing the full blast of an English storm but he has received some damage in the process. There's a long interruption as the physio comes out to tend to Smith. Gets a heavy strapped-guard on. Archer has been the bowler who has been breathing the most fire. And that's how champions react - Smith pounds Archer for a boundary in his very next over. Australia trail by 64 runs.
Paine falls
Finally, a breakthrough for England. And it is Jofra Archer's fizz that does the trick. Paine cannot deal with the pace on that one and offers an easy catch to Buttler. England get their 6th wicket. They'd hav wished they had to toil less hard for this. Pat Cummins joins Smith at No.8. Australia now trail by 78 runs. Could this wicket spell a resurgence from England maybe? AUS 180/6 after 69 overs
Resumption
Smith and Paine walk out again. Stuart Broad starts off again with two slips in place. They do not look too intent on forcing their way through here. And Smith gets a boundary in the very first over. Archer bowls from the other end.
Lunch
Lunch is taken. Again, it is Steve Smith walking back at an interval. Skipper Tim Paine still giving him company at lunch on Day 4. Australia trail England's first innings score by 103 runs. But somehow, Australia still seem to have won that session, and seem to be in a position of strength. They've recovered well from their collapse on Day 3, and again Steve Smith has been the man at the centre of the fightback. The Rennaisance men of Australian cricket - Warner in the IPL and the World Cup and now Smith in the Ashes. AUS 155/5 after 65 overs
50 for Smith
Half-century for Steve Smith! Dances down the pitch to Leach and gets a four to get to the landmark. His scores in this series so far have been 144, 142 and now 52*. This is his 7th consecutive 50 score in Tests vs England. He looks like he could bat for ever. Australia trail England by 106 runs.
Leach, Stokes
Are England running out of ideas here? Their strike bowlers have been taken off. Stokes and Leach are now bowling from either end. Smith's knocks can do that to teams - take the wind out of their hopes of getting anything from the match. Smith has been in his 30s since forever and he does not look to be in any hurry to get to his 40s. With him, it is still Tim Paine. Not long till the lunch break now. AUS 138/5 after 59 overs
"I know I'm a little bit eccentric but I didn't realise I'm doing it that bad" - Steve Smith on his leaves. Of which there was a highlights reel made yesterday. Could be the first batsman to have had a highlights package made of his leaves.
Smith, Paine frustrate England
England are looking to wrap up the rest of this batting order quickly so that they can look to pile on some quick runs and force Australia to bat again. A result in this match is still possible, of course, provided we have no more extended rain breaks. However, Smith and Paine are not giving any inches to the home team. No rash shots, no chances. Woakes in particular has bowled well. No rewards for any of the English bowlers though.
Boundaries from Paine
Tim Paine has hit two scoring shots so far and both of them have been boundaries. Australia cross the follow-on mark. They trail by 138 runs now and there shall be many who shall heave a sigh of relief at that. There was a time on Day 3 when it looked like Australia were in real danger of conceding a follow-on. AUS 120/5 after 51 overs
That's the end of the first hour's play at Lord's. Australia will be satisified with how the day has gone so far.
First wicket of morning
England have the first wicket of the morning. Steve Smith loses his overnight partner Wade. Wade was having a tough time against Archer. He got hit on the shoulder in the last over and now goes out to a Broad ball. Burns the man who takes a diving catch. After 45 overs, Australia are 102-5.
Tim Paine walks out to join the former Australian captain. He is taking his time to get settled in. They are trailing by more than 150 runs, although avoiding the follow-on should not be a problem. Remember, the follow-on deficit was fixed at 150 runs because Day 1 was washed out completely.
No trouble for Steve Smith!
Pretty sure England players look at Steve Smith as just another batsman. This didn't work in 17-18 and it isn't working now as well. They have to look at him as someone that stands between them and the Ashes, formulate plans and select bowlers that will trouble him
Eyes on Smith
With Steve Smith and Mathew Wade are on the crease, Australia are dependent on Smith. After three overs of the day, Australia have added 7 runs. AUS 93/4
Sunny at Lord's
The good news is that it is sunny today at Lord's. So the match is expected to start at it's scheduled timing i.e 3.30pm IST.
ENG vs AUS LIVE
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Ashes Test 1 Day 4 between England and Australia. At day three, stumps, Australia were 4 for 80, trailing by 178 runs with Steve Smith batting on 13 from 40 deliveries and Mathew Wade yet to get off strike after facing 23 deliveries. Stay tuned for live score and updates of Day 4 of the Test at Lord's.