England’s second innings moved to 303-9 – for a lead of 181 – on day two of the one-off Test against Ireland at Lord’s in London on Thursday.
Nightwatchman Jack Leach’s 92 provided the highlight of the day, while limited-overs graduate Jason Roy also welcomed a maiden half-century in Test cricket. All-rounder Sam Curran later entertained the crowd with a late-order cameo.
Tailenders Stuart Broad and Olly Stone will resume on 21 and zero not out, respectively, if England don’t opt for an unlikely declaration overnight.
While day one yielded 20 wickets, day two featured just nine, as a pitch initially rife with seam movement grew somewhat tired. Leach and Roy, and later Curran, duly took advantage. Ireland hardly helped themselves by dropping a couple of catches.
Wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow, meanwhile, perished for a second duck in as many innings. His superb stretch of form in the 2019 World Cup has certainly taken a back seat to obvious inadequacies in the longest format of the international game. With the Ashes series nearing, Bairstow is in jeopardy of losing his place in the XI to fellow wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler, who has been rested for this match.
While Tim Murtagh was the standout seamer on the Wednesday, Mark Adair took charge 24 hours later. What little swing there was on offer, he found and pinched figures of three for 66.
Bad light ended play early.
Come Friday, England will push for a 200-plus lead, knowing full well they dismissed the Irish for 207 in the first innings.
Photo: Getty Images
