LONDON: Australia won an action-packed second Ashes test at Lord’s on Sunday by 43 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the five-test series, despite a superb rearguard innings of 155 from England captain Ben Stokes.
Stokes appeared fired up after the controversial stumping of team mate Jonny Bairstow and began to smash sixes and fours around the ground.
Stokes made a remarkable 155 before he was dismissed with England 70 runs shy of a steep target of 371.
England were eventually dismissed for 327 as holders Australia, bidding for a first away Ashes series win in 22 years, went 2-0 up in the five-match campaign.
But it was the dismissal of Bairstow shortly before lunch on the last day that lit the blue-touch paper on this match and incited the fury of the usually sedate Lord’s crowd.
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Bairstow, the last of England’s specialist batsmen, fell in bizarre fashion for 10 when he wandered out of his ground after ducking a Cameron Green bouncer and quick-thinking wicketkeeper Alex Carey under-armed the ball onto the stumps.
Bairstow thought he had secured his ground by tapping his bat behind the crease.
Australia captain Pat Cummins could have withdrawn the appeal but the decision was referred to third umpire Marais Erasmus, who ruled Bairstow had been stumped, with England now 193-6.
