After seven days of frantic back-and-forth drama, the Ashes finally settled down into a gentler pace on the third day of the second Test at Lord's.
Feeling the strain
While England showed great composure with the bat, it is fair to say that Australia's bowlers did not cover themselves in glory on the third day. James Pattinson and Steve Smith both claimed wickets with ordinary deliveries, and Peter Siddle could not add to the three scalps he took at the end of day two. Siddle admitted that the tourists were feeling fatigued,
but thinks the home batsmen should take most of the credit. "A lot of credit goes to their batters," he said. "I think they summed up the conditions well, took their time early on and just made us keep bowling and bowling."
Respect for Root
It was almost such a different story for Root, who edged behind while on eight on day two only for the ball to pass between Brad Haddin and Michael Clarke. Prior to Saturday's knock he had registered disappointing scores of 30, 5 and 6 as an opener, but
Sky Sports expert Michael Atherton does not see Australia's botched fielding as a turning point in Root's career. "With some players, you see a moment like that [the missed chance] and think, 'that could be career changing'," Atherton said. "But you feel with Root he would have come through eventually because he's clearly got a lot of class."
Day three - as it happened
You can relive all the best action from day three by
reading our interactive commentary from Lord's. You can also view
a gallery of the day's best images here.
