England and Australia were in Royal company on a rollercoaster opening day of the second Test at Lord's as Ian Bell continued his rich vein of form before the tourists hit back.
Strauss hails Clarke 'masterstroke'
Andrew Strauss believes Michael Clarke's decision to bring Smith into the attack
late on day one was a "masterstroke" and has shifted the match drastically in Australia's favour. Smith, introduced into the attack in the 77th over of the day, snared key England trio Bell, Bairstow and Prior to end the day with figures of 3-18 from six overs. "Perhaps England weren't expecting Smith to bowl and that's what did for them, but he produced a beauty to get rid of Bell and while Bairstow's was a full toss, a really good quicker ball got rid of Prior," Strauss said.
Nasser's blog
Nasser is predicting another "cracker of a Test match" after the balance of power shifted this way and that on the first day at Lord's. Basking in the sunshine (when not in the air conditioned commentary box)
Nasser lavished praise on the brilliance of Bell and the tactical astuteness of Australia skipper Clarke. Nasser said: "The weather didn't disappoint at Lord's and the cricket didn't either. Ian Bell looked in good nick, Bairstow was lucky to survive a no-ball...but Clarke's captaincy was exceptional today."
Waugh: Aussies on the up
Former Australia captain
Steve Waugh popped into the Sky Cricket studio at tea to chat with former Ashes opponent David Gower. The all-conquering Australia skipper is confident the Baggy Greens are on the way up (despite losing six consecutive Test matches) and believes captain Clarke can lead the current crop of players up to second in the ICC Test rankings.
Day one - as it happened
You can relive all the best action from the opening day by reading our
interactive commentary from Lord's. You can also view a gallery of the day's
best images here.
