Mitchell Starc produced a remarkable delivery that resulted in the dismissal of England’s Ollie Pope on Day 4 of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s.
The left-arm Australian pacer delivered what could be considered the standout ball of the Ashes 2023 so far.
England got off to a poor start when opener Zak Crawley fell victim to Starc’s bowling, getting caught down the leg side for just three runs.
Despite Ben Duckett surviving an LBW decision with the help of the Decision Review System (DRS), Starc wasted no time and struck again on the first ball of his third over.
England is left in a state of chaos on Day 4 due to Pat Cummins’ double wicket
No one does this better than Him. Mitchell Starc 🐐 pic.twitter.com/VjkOgf2AMh
— Ansh (@141Adelaide_) July 1, 2023
The delivery, bowled from over the wicket, was full and swung in late from off-stump, deceiving Pope.
The right-handed batsman’s defense was breached as the ball crashed into the stumps, uprooting the middle pole in a sensational display of bowling skill.
Starc had struggled earlier in the year and was left out of the opening Test in favor of Scott Boland, made a triumphant return to the side.
Prior to his outstanding opening burst in the run chase, he had already claimed three wickets in England’s first innings.
Despite his impressive overall Test record of 315 wickets, Starc has often faced challenges in English conditions.
He took only 42 wickets in 11 Tests at an average of 30.64 and an economy rate of over 3.5 runs per over.
Pat Cummins, the Australian captain, followed Starc’s initial success with a double-wicket over, further diminishing England’s hopes of a victory at Lord’s.
After Starc had reduced the hosts to 13/2, Joe Root and Ben Duckett attempted to rebuild the innings with a 28-run partnership.
However, Cummins returned for his second spell and delivered two outstanding deliveries that sent both Root and Harry Brook packing.
Root, who has had previous struggles against Cummins, was dismissed by a short delivery that angled towards his head, leaving him cramped for room.
Root could only manage a tame fend, resulting in a simple catch for David Warner at slip.
Cummins continued his display of skill by producing a classical delivery that pitched around the off-stump and moved slightly away, hitting the top of Brook’s off-stump.
Cummins’ double strike left England reeling at 45-4 in their pursuit of the daunting 371-run target.
The situation was undoubtedly challenging for the English team as they faced an uphill battle to salvage the Test match.
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