What happened on Day 5 of 2nd ENG vs AUS Ashes 2023 Test at Lord’s?

England captain Ben Stokes hammered a superb 155, but Australia survived the onslaught to register a 43-run win in the second Ashes 2023 Test at Lord’s on Sunday.

In a brilliant counter-attack that had shades of his Headingley epic in 2019, Stokes slammed nine fours and as many sixes, but could not stop Australia from going 2-0 up in the five-match series.

Needing 371 for victory, England resumed their second innings on 114/4. Stokes was sedate in the company of Ben Duckett, who missed out on a hundred for the second time in the Test. Having moved from 50 to 83 without much trouble, the England opener fell to the short ball again, top-edging one from Josh Hazlewood. Alex Carey pulled off a superb one-handed catch, leaping to his right.

Stokes was fired up after Jonny Bairstow (10) was stumped in controversial fashion. The keeper-batter wandered out of his crease after leaving a wide delivery from Cameron Green. However, the ball wasn’t dead, and an alert Carey threw down the stumps, much to the shock of Bairstow. Australia went ahead with their appeal and the England batter had to storm back to the pavilion.

Stokes launched his counter-attack by hammering Green for three fours in an over. The England captain rode his luck, surviving multiple chances. On 77, he smashed one back to Pat Cummins, but his opposite number could not hold on to the catch. Stokes raced to his hundred by clobbering Green for a four and three consecutive sixes. He reached three figures by whacking a short ball from the Aussie pacer over deep backward square leg.

Australia seemed to feel the heat as the usually reliable Steve Smith put down a skier from Stokes off Josh Hazlewood’s bowling at deep backward square. Not long after, the England captain launched Hazlewood for two maximums. Two more consecutive sixes followed off Mitchell Starc’s bowling as Stokes raced towards his 150.

Just as England were beginning to dream of a Headingley 2019 encore, Hazlewood ended Stokes’ heroics. He forced the left-hander to top-edge a short ball, while Carey did the rest.

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England give up fight after Stokes’ exit

There wasn’t much resistance from England’s tail after Stokes’ exhilarating exhibition came to an end. Ollie Robinson perished for 1, top-edging a hook off Cummins. This time, Smith made no mistake and gobbled up the skier.

Stuart Broad’s (11) resistance came to an end when he swung another short one from Hazlewood to fine leg. Australia bowled out England for 327 and completed an impressive win in emphatic fashion when Starc knocked over Josh Tongue (19).