Ashes 2023 4th Test Day 2 Review, ENG vs AUS 4th Test Day 2, ENG vs AUS 4th Test Day 2 Highlights, ENG vs AUS 4th Test Day 2 Match Updates, England vs Australia Ashes 2023, Ashes 2023 Match Highlights.

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Ashes 2023 4th Test Day 2 Review

Australia was 299-8 at the end of day 1. They would have liked a few more runs on the board or to have lost a couple of wickets less. But close to 300 runs in English conditions was par for the course. Australia at the start of the day would have hoped for 40-50 runs from their last two wickets to reach the 350-run mark. England on the other hand was hoping to wrap things up quickly. The stage was set for an interesting second day.

#1 The perfect start and an anticlimax

England started day two on a pitch-perfect note. James Anderson had Pat Cummins caught at cover off the very first ball of the day. In the next over, Chris Woakes celebrated picking up a fiver only for the umpire to rule it as a no-ball. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood added 18 runs for the last wicket. It was Woakes eventually who dismissed Hazlewood to bag a well-deserved 5-wicket haul! 

#2 England’s cautious start

Ben Duckett nicked one early off Starc to Alex Carey and England was 9-1. Their top order under scrutiny played a waiting game. Moeen Ali walking in at number 3 played sedate cricket. Zak Crawley kept playing and missing and looked nervous. The second wicket partnership though continued to battle till lunch. England was 61-1 and the game was played at a conventional rhythm.

#3 Crawley’s finest hour in Test cricket

England and Zak Crawley in the post-lunch session seemed like men possessed. The opener started dispatching all the balls to the boundaries. Ali from the other end found his groove and Australia had no answers. At 130-2, Ali played one shot too many to be dismissed at short mid-wicket.

Joe Root upped the ante right from the very first ball scoring a boundary off a short ball. Crawley and Root scored runs for fun as Pat Cummins and Australia looked clueless. England scored 178 runs in 25 overs in the second session to move to 239-2! They were less than 80 runs away from Australia’s total.

#4 The key men missed out on milestones

Crawley and Root continued from where they had left at tea. The opener looked all set to score his second double hundred but he was bowled against the run of play. Crawley scored 189 off just 182 balls, a knock comprising 21 fours and 3 sixes. Root who looked in pristine touch was also dismissed on 84. He fell to a Hazlewood delivery that refused to bounce. There was little that Root could do against such a ball.

#5 Brook and Ben bat through

In what was the only passage of play that saw traditional Test cricket being played, Harry Brook and Ben Stokes played for stumps. Their partnership of 33 came off 65 balls. Both the batters cut out unwanted risks as England slowly started consolidating their lead. Australia felt a semblance of control when these two batters chose defence as their primary option.

#6 The Road ahead for both sides

It was the first day in this Ashes series so far that belonged to one team completely. England totally bossed the second day’s play scoring 384 runs in just 72 overs. It was the highest validation of their ‘Bazball’ school of batting. England is 67 runs ahead and will look to add 120-130 runs more and in quick time too. They are aware and wary of the weather that is scheduled for day four and day five. 

Australia would want to put the day behind them and come back strong on day 3. England has dictated the pace of the game at an unimaginable speed. Can they match it up or top it up on day 3? This is a question that the fans will really want to know!