Australia headed into day three knowing they needed a flurry of early wickets to have any hope of forcing their way back into the second Test, but ended it looking beleaguered, demoralised and almost certain to fall 2-0 behind in the series.
Rogers at the double
There was precious little for Australia and their fans to cheer on Saturday, but at least there can be no doubt about catch of the day honours... Chris Rogers took them both! Despite the fact they were bowled by a quickie and a spinner, both wickets fell to very similar deliveries - half-trackers that were pulled to mid-wicket. On both occasions Rogers obliged, although his effort to pouch Ian Bell was worthy of note - the Aussie opener holding on to a smart chance which came sharply off the bottom of Bell's bat with the minimum of fuss. But his subsequent lack of celebration rather told the story with the tourists by that stage over 500 runs behind and staring down the barrel.
Catching controversy
Although it was Rogers who took the catch to dismiss Bell for 74, the England batsman ought to have been on his way a long time before having edged one to Steve Smith in the gully when on only three. However, with the on-field umpire unsure whether the ball had carried cleanly, the decision was referred upstairs to the third umpire who found in the batsman's favour. It was extremely harsh on Smith who looked to have taken a perfectly legitimate catch but, as has been seen on so many occasions in the past, television replays on those close catching decisions appear only to obscure the reality and undermine the fielder's case.
London calling
While England will have savoured a day of almost total dominance with the bat, it will certainly not go down as one of the most thrilling days of Test cricket in memory - especially given the pulsating start to this series. That certainly seemed to be the view of Sky Sports pundit Michael Holding as he came to summarise day three at Lord's. Mikey must obviously think England have things in the bag as it was London's endless dining options and not cricket that was on his mind come the end of play!
