PAUL NEWMAN: England need something close to a second Test miracle after a desperately bad third day

It was when England’s frustration reached boiling point after a miserable three days of self-inflicted damage that have strengthened Australia’s iron grip on the Ashes.

Stuart Broad had launched his third impassioned celebratory speech as he strained to fire Marnus Labuschagne and for the third time Chris Gaffaney didn’t say away.

The first two times Ben Stokes had resisted the urge to review despite his bowler’s insistence, he had got his man and both times the England captain had been proven right.

Now Stokes turned a deaf ear again, thinking his bowler was a howling wolf, even though the ball appeared to hit Labuschagne’s pads in line with the leg stump. But this time he was wrong. Technology showed the dreaded three reds and Broad was denied a major scalp.

As Broad trudged back to the top of his run, he looked up to see Brendon McCullum, who had seen the television footage, slowly raise a finger in the locker room to confirm his worst fears. Australia had again received a huge helping hand from England.

Usman Khawaja stayed on the crease at the end of the match and finished on 58 not out before the rain stoppage

It was a miserable day for England despite an improved bowling performance being bowled out for 325

It turned out to be nothing like England’s costliest mistake as Labuschagne, then on 16, would soon play the worst shot of the day amidst the toughest competition from England to give Jimmy Anderson a much needed wicket.

But by then the damage had long been done. By the time the drizzle ended on the third day, an hour and 15 minutes early, Australia had put in another superb effort in the most demanding of conditions to reach 130 for two and a lead of 221, leaving England in need of something close lies with a second test miracle.

And, as in Edgbaston, England can only blame themselves for a predicament that puts this much-anticipated Ashes in danger of being effectively over after just two Tests.

Only this time, unlike a first Test where they all made it, England have played desperately poorly at Lord’s. They have achieved so much with their ultra-aggressive style, but so far they have failed to combine it with any kind of nuance and cricketing intelligence.

Perhaps things would have been different had Stokes not been dismissed by Mitchell Starc’s second ball of the day. The captain had set a sensible example on the second night, but without him England again lost heads in arguably their worst session, not just of the Bazball era, but for many years.

Nothing summed up a disastrous morning as England lost six wickets for 47 runs to crash to 325 all out when they were once 188 for one more than the performance of their batsman seemingly destined for greatness after an extraordinary start to his testing career.

Harry Brook didn’t look great here. Anything but. He had hit more like one of the baseball hitters he so admires on day two and now he completed what must be one of the worst half-centuries in Test history before giving it away with the most atrocious shot of many he played.

When Brook backed off and hit a short ball from Starc to cover the Sky cameras focused on the sight of Geoff Boycott in the Lord’s stands, he shook his head and covered his face with his hand at the sheer stupidity of his fellow Yorkshireman.

Stokes was sent off second ball after Cam Green took a lead in the slips

Labuschagne was dismissed for 30 by Jimmy Anderson after David Warner’s earlier wicket

Friday morning was arguably the worst session in England for many years after a batting collapse

In this series, Brook has been tested for fast and short bowling for the first time in his meteoric rise and found to be wanting. It’s clear he’ll have to find a method of handling the short ball, possibly going back to his mentor Martin Speight, as he’s unlikely to see anything from Australia in his half for the rest of this series will receive.

Brook wasn’t alone. At least Jonny Bairstow resisted the urge to take the short stuff, but then played a terrible shot that was neither positive nor defensive, throwing Josh Hazlewood to halfway.

Then Ollie Robinson moved to Travis Head’s part-time spin, standing in for the injured Nathan Lyon, and moved to the excellent Alex Carey before Broad, who had received a nasty blow to the jaw from Cameron Green, missed a sweep from the emergency spinner.

England’s woes were complete when Josh Tongue fell just before lunch, but in reality their troubles had begun long before their capitulation yesterday.

When Lyon limped on day two with a calf strain that will likely rule him out for the rest of the series, England had everything in their favor, but they survived the madness that saw Ollie Pope, Ben Duckett and Joe Root all fall to the barrage. of the short ball.

From there England played catch up and even a much improved bowling performance in the second innings could not allow them to push back to a realistic battle.

England once again couldn’t have wished for better conditions – the clouds were back and the lights were on. – but while Broad and Tongue, trapping David Warner, were impressive and Anderson improved, Australia showed their hosts how it’s done.

Another chance was lost when Usman pulled Khawaja Tongue straight through the hands of Anderson on 19 and the dominant batsman of this series so far is still there on 58 alongside Steve Smith, who survived another cry from Broad – this time he went appealed correctly – and lived to fight another day.

If England can’t take wickets fast today, the only question is how much Australia, without their first spinner, feel they need before declaring.

They know England will go for every goal and so won’t be inclined to dangle a carrot, but maybe it’s time for Stokes and McCullum to develop a plan B and try to get out of this crucial test with a draw. come. Don’t hold your breath.

That would not be an admission of failure for Bazball, because in reality what England have produced in this match is not the Bazball that has thrilled us over the past year.

Instead it’s been reckless, irresponsible cricket and has given them a lot to do if they want to come out of Lord’s still with any chance of winning the Ashes.