On Day 1 of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, pacer Josh Tongue dismissed Australian opener Usman Khawaja just before lunch, giving England a chance to salvage something from the opening session.
After being asked to bat first, Warner and Khawaja added 73 runs for the first wicket. The visitors were having a nearly faultless first session.
However, Tongue expertly positioned Khawaja for the inswinger. The latter raised his arms for a strike that ultimately swung into him.
As Usman Khawaja leaves the field on the first day of the second Ashes Test, Josh Tongue secures his first Ashes wicket.
Usman Khawaja was shocked to see the ball swerve back off the seam after it struck the top of the off-stump. The dismissal is captured on camera here:
First Ashes wicket secured 🔒
Masterful from Josh Tongue ✨ #EnglandCricket | #Ashes pic.twitter.com/pS963Awgop
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 28, 2023
England needs to exert more pressure on Australia’s batting order
Australia responded brilliantly when asked to bat first in difficult conditions, and Usman Khawaja’s dismissal doesn’t change that.
At the time of writing, David Warner has reached his half-century and is beginning to look threatening for the hosts.
Due to their missed opportunities in the first Test, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith are motivated to succeed this time around.
Ollie Robinson, Stuart Broad, and James Anderson have all played sparingly. But Josh Tongue has given England the breakthrough they required.
The hosts will want to avoid making the same errors that India did in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
In difficult circumstances, the Australian batting dug deep and exhausted the Indian seamers before seizing scoring opportunities to notch a massive first-innings score.
The guests appear to be on track to accomplish that feat once more. England must regroup and find a way to bowl Australia out as quickly as possible because they cannot afford to chase the game.
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