3 things Australia need to do right on Day 5 of 2nd Ashes 2023 Test

Australia have dominated the second Ashes 2023 Test at Lord’s against England and will go into Day 5 on Sunday as the favorites. The hosts need 257 runs for victory on the last day of the Test but have only six wickets in hand.

Australia resumed their second innings on Day 4 at Lord’s at 130/2. However, they were bowled out for 279 as England took inspiration from the Aussies and adopted a relentless short ball ploy. In fact, they went a step ahead with regard to their intensity and consistency of getting it right up there at the throat of the batters.

The Aussies, however, fought back courtesy of their bowlers. After setting England a challenging target of 371, they claimed quick wickets to reduce the hosts to 45/4. A fifth-wicket stand of 69* lifted England to 114/4 by stumps.

While Australia will be confident of clinching victory at Lord’s on Day 5, they would be wary of the Ben Stokes factor, who was unbeaten on 29 at the close of play on Saturday.

Ahead of the final day’s play, we analyze three things that Australia need to do right.

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#1 Make early inroads

Ben Stokes and Ben Duckett have added 69* for the fifth wicket. (Pic: Getty Images)

The first session of play in a Test match often sets the tone for the rest of the day. As mentioned earlier, Australia will begin as favorites. However, if England get off to a good start, their confidence will be boosted for sure.

Opener Duckett has been in good form. Having scored 98 in the first innings, he has reached a half-century in the second essay as well. The left-hander will be confident of carrying on from where he left off on Saturday.

He had a lucky reprieve towards the end of the day’s play when a catch claimed by Mitchell Starc was disallowed.

Then, England have Stokes as well who has pulled off a couple of miraculous wins for the team. England find themselves in a similar situation to Headingley 2019 when they chased down 359 by one wicket on the back of Stokes’ iconic 135*.

Australia must look to strike early to put England under intense pressure. If they get past the likes of Stokes, Duckett, and Jonny Bairstow, the Aussies can wrap up things quickly as England have quite a long tail.

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#2 Strike a fine balance between attack and defense

Travis Head might have to chip in with the ball again. (Pic: Getty Images)

In case Australia are unable to claim early wickets, they must ensure that they do not give away too many easy runs. Remember, the Aussies have 257 runs to play with. However, if Duckett, Stokes, and Bairstow get going on Day 5, the equation can come down pretty quickly.

Australia can expect skipper Pat Cummins and the experienced duo of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood to do the job. However, the challenge for them will be when the part-timers like Travis Head (and perhaps Marnus Labuschagne) come on to bowl.

In off-spinner Nathan Lyon’s absence due to a calf injury, Australia will have to bring on the likes of Head to give the pacers a breather, unless of course, they run through the England batting.

This period could be significant depending on how things pan out. In a nutshell, the Aussies will need to strike a fine balance between attack and defense.

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#3 Take their catches ‘cleanly’

Mitchell Starc’s catch of Ben Duckett was ruled not out. (Pic: Getty Images)

This might sound a bit bizarre, but Australia need to hold on to their catches a bit more cleanly than they have been doing in recent times. Starting from the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final against India at The Oval, there have been at least three instances of huge debates over catches claimed by Australian fielders.

It all began with Cameron Green’s catch to dismiss Shubman Gill in the second innings of the WTC final. The Aussie all-rounder claimed a one-handed stunner at gully. While Australian critics backed Green, former Indian cricketers opined that there was a gap between the fielder’s fingers and hence the ball would have touched the ground.

Another controversy erupted on Day 2 of the Lord’s Test when Joe Root top-edged a short ball from Starc. Steve Smith ran in from backward square leg and dived to catch the ball, which popped out of his hand. However, Smith managed to hang on to the ball. The third umpire ruled in Australia’s favor.

On Saturday, though, the third umpire disallowed Starc’s catch of Duckett since the fielder rolled the ball along the ground while sliding after taking the catch. Every catch can make a big difference, so Australia must try and complete their catches as cleanly as possible.