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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Sonia Twigg and Harry Latham-Coyle

England vs Australia LIVE: Cricket scorecard and Ashes updates as Joe Root falls but England reach 278

AFP via Getty Images
Just Stop Oil crash Ashes as England’s Jonny Bairstow hauls protester off pitch

England’s costly habit of unforced batting errors reared its head again at Lord’s as they gifted control of the second Ashes Test to Australia.

The tourists, already 1-0 up after edging a nail-biter at Edgbaston, ended day three with a commanding 221-run lead and a platform to make themselves overwhelming favourites to win both the game and the series.

England were knocked over for 325 in a deflating morning session, losing six wickets for 47 as they turned a competitive position into a first-innings deficit of 91. At one stage on the second evening they had looked at ease on 188 for one, but 24 hours later they had a mountain to climb.

While a host of England’s leading batters were the authors of their own downfall, Australia once against trusted a more pragmatic approach as they gritted their teeth in awkward conditions to reach 130 for two.

With the ball nipping around under floodlights and murky skies, Australia’s insistence on a more risk-averse strategy than England’s all-out aggression paid dividends. Usman Khawaja, dropped on 19 by James Anderson, led the way as he did in the first Test at Edgbaston as he compiled a hard-working 58no.

Follow all the action from day three of the second Ashes test match:

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