England declared for 524/4 on day 2, with Duckett (182) and Pope (205) pulping the Irish bowlers. Ireland will resume the third day at 97/3, 255 runs behind.
LONDON – England’s top-order drove domestic their benefit towards Ireland on Day Two at Lord’s as Ben Duckett piled on runs in the morning session earlier than Ollie Pope hit a speedy double-century.
After declaring quickly after tea, Ireland misplaced PJ Moor and Andrew Balbirnie in rapid succession, slipping to 18-2 earlier than James McCollum left the discipline hurt. An authoritative hour of batting from Lorcan Tucker and Harry Tector supposed Ireland reached 97-3 through the close.
After rapidly casting off the 20-run deficit they started out the day with, England’s batters started out to construct a lead. Duckett reached his first century on domestic soil much less than an hour into play, flicking a single previous brief midwicket and elevating his fist in the air as he ran through. Three balls later and any other single took Pope to fifty, the lead developing at a sizable rate.
As the solar burnt away the early morning cloud, the Ireland bowlers persisted to toil. With the smash approaching, Duckett and Pope accelerated as soon as more, Pope transferring into the nineties with ten minutes left in the session. Duckett surpassed a hundred and fifty runs in the equal over – prodding the ball into the legside for two.
He carved but every other boundary from Fionn Hand’s subsequent shipping to deliver up the 200 partnership, taking England into the damage with a lead of 153, having scored 173 runs in the session.
Pope received to his century with a scampered single two overs after play’s resumption, whilst Duckett persevered to attack. However, a bowling change to Hume ultimately located the leap forward with a thick inner area from Duckett. His off stump was once flattened, forcing him to leave for 182.
Joe Root’s arrival at the crease at first intended a length of relative calm, however he and Pope quickly upped the ante as soon as more. He raced previous one hundred fifty as the partnership with Root unexpectedly rose closer to three figures.
By Tea, Pope used to be inside three runs of a double-century whilst England’s lead had moved on to 331. The recreation moved on shortly after the break. Root was once bowled with the aid of McBrine from the 1/3 ball of the session, coming down the pitch and undone by way of some turn. Pope introduced up his double-century, however the very subsequent ball, he too skipped down the wicket and missed, out stumped with Tucker having lots of time to take the bails off. That used to be adequate for the England captain who recalled his batters with a lead of 352.
A circumspect begin via Ireland’s openers was once damaged through Josh Tongue’s first ball in the innings. He disregarded Moor lbw to declare his first Test wicket after going except in the first innings. A 2d came alongside in the equal over as Balbirnie under-edged thru to Jonny Bairstow, leaving Ireland 18-2.
A in addition blow got here when McCollum had to go away the subject damage after twisting his ankle pivoting to play a brief ball from Tongue. Paul Stirling got here to the crease and appeared in imperious form, drilling a couple of boundaries via the off aspect to go Ireland in the direction of fifty. He grew to be Tongue’s 0.33 sufferer of the evening, gloving at the back of forty five minutes earlier than the scheduled shut of play.
Tucker and Tector remained determinedly in area to see Ireland to the shut besides similarly damage and put some strain again on to England. Not content material to permit Tongue’s short-ball ploy to proceed barring response, Tector even hooked the debutant for six, whilst every struck three boundaries. They will resume 255 runs at the back of with seven wickets in hand.
MATCH SUMMARY
England v Ireland, Only Test match, Day Two, Lord’s, 2nd June 2023
Ireland 172 (56.2 overs; James McCollum 36, Curtis Campher 33, Stuart Broad 5-51)
England 524-4 dec (82.4 overs; Ollie Pope 205, Ben Duckett 182, Andy McBrine 2-99)
Ireland 97-3 (26 overs; Harry Tector 33, Lorcan Tucker 21, Josh Tongue 3-27)
England lead by using 255 runs
