“They became happy hookers” - David Lloyd slams England for throwing their wickets away on Day 2 of Lord’s Test

Former England cricketer David Lloyd criticized the hosts for throwing their wickets away on Day 2 of the second Ashes 2023 Test at Lord’s on Thursday. According to Lloyd, England’s batters failed to “work out the percentages” and paid a heavy price for the same.

England got off to a solid start in response to Australia’s first-innings total of 416. They were 188/1 at one point in time before slipping to 222/4. The trio of Ollie Pope (42), Ben Duckett (98), and Joe Root (10) perished one after the other, following failed attempts to take on the short ball.

It could have been worse for England had Marnus Labuschagne not dropped a relatively simple catch offered by Harry Brook off Pat Cummins’ bowling. Brook survived and went to stumps at 45*, with skipper Ben Stokes (17*) for company.

In his column for the Daily Mail, Lloyd questioned England batters’ lack of game awareness.

He wrote:

“Late in the afternoon, Australia turned to the short ball tactic with the field set accordingly and England obliged. They became happy hookers with Duckett, Pope and Root all throwing away their wickets. You have to work out the percentages. If it's above head height, you have no control over the shot. Australia were cock-a-hoop.

“They just tried it after Nathan Lyon's injury and would have been delighted with the way England went about things,” he added.

England will resume their first innings on Day 3 at 278/4, trailing Australia by 138 runs.

---

“Smith is perfect at the moment of impact” - Lloyd breaks down Aussie batter’s mannerisms

Earlier in the day, Australian batter Steve Smith went on to complete his 32nd Test hundred, breaking a few more records along the way.

Sharing his thoughts on the Aussie run-machine, Lloyd opined that while his mannerisms at the crease might be bizarre, he is in complete control when he plays the ball.

The former cricketer explained:

“Let's break Steve Smith's method down. He kicks off with his superstitious mannerisms, touching various parts. He then stands stiff-legged at the crease, bending his knees slightly and at the point of release, his right leg goes back and across towards off stump.

“The bat is then lifted up towards gully in almost Bradman-esque fashion and the critical thing is that his head position is absolutely still and in complete control when he plays the ball. Regardless of all those bits and bobs before, Smith is perfect at the moment of impact and that's why he has 32 Test hundreds. An exceptional player,” Lloyd concluded.

Smith is the fastest batter to reach 32 Test hundreds, getting there in 174 innings. Ricky Ponting is next on the list with 176 innings, followed by Sachin Tendulkar (179).