Sweet revenge for Aussies at Lord's

The new fight, positivity and belief that carried England to a series-opening win in Cardiff a week ago was rendered but a brief memory as Australia squared the Ashes with a thumping victory in an even briefer time frame at Lord’s.

Aussies celebrate final wicket (Australia only)

On a summer afternoon that must rank alongside the dominance of anything seen in the previous series whitewash in Australia, and one of the most dismal in a summer that had seen England reborn, the home team was bowled out for a scant 103 inside three hours in perfect weather.

The 405-run win represented the second-biggest defeat (in terms of runs) that England have suffered at the Home of Cricket, and was just four runs fewer than the historic mauling handed out by Bradman’s Invincibles against a war-ravaged opponent in 1948.

Mitch Marsh and Mitch Johnson lap up the success (restrictions apply)

No such excuses can be afforded England in this match, in which they were ritually humiliated on each of the three days and two-and-a-half sessions that this game took to reach a conclusion that arrived before a stunned crowd at 4.40pm this afternoon.

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Australia celebrate the final wicket // Gettty Images

On a pitch that their bowlers, their supporters and many a bemused commentator had labelled a blight on the game after a first day so heavily dominated by the bat that it was apparently laughable to foresee 40 wickets falling.

As they didn’t.

Nevill's lucky seven on debut (Australia only)

In fact, Australia managed to lose just 10 (plus one retired) across their two days at the crease and the last couple of those were gifts as they chased fast runs this morning with a view to giving themselves five sessions to prise out England for a second time.

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Warner and Rogers began the carnage // Getty Images

In managing that feat in 37 overs and seeing England’s batsmen fall in quick procession to vulnerabilities against the swinging ball, the short-pitched ball, the spinning ball and even the ball thrown at the stumps has Australia heading to Edgbaston in a week or so holding a huge advantage.

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Stokes is run-out unbelievably // Getty Images

So far have the respective roles reversed, the England selectors who were happily sitting back after Cardiff thinking that only an injury or two would force them to consult over their line-up now have more headaches than those Australia fans revelling in the win will feel tomorrow.

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Johnson celebrates Cook's wicket // Getty Images

That the wickets were shared evenly by all bowlers, that runs were scored heavily and untroubled by the top-order and even with the stand-in ‘keeper more than earning his stripes, no such worry will dwell within the Australia camp.

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Cook edges through to Nevill // Getty Images

The procession of wickets today – after Australia declared with a lead of 508 and the pitch seemed to once again unleash its demons that only resided when England batted – began in the same manner as the first.

All 10 England wickets (Australia only)

Adam Lyth – now under serious pressure to retain his spot – hung his bat at a delivery from Mitchell Starc that he could have let alone and the chocks were suddenly out from under the England cart.

Alastair Cook fell to his favoured cut shot, Gary Ballance to pace, bounce and masterful bowling change to introduce Mitchell Marsh, and Ian Bell coughing up a simple catch from Nathan Lyon.

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Marsh celebrates the wicket of Ballance // Getty Images

Then it was Mitchell Johnson’s turn to once more haunt his foes, his lethal left-arm running out a negligent Ben Stokes in barely believable circumstances and then in bowling mode achieving the same outcome against Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali.

Stokes run out in incredible fashion

When the last semblance of England hope in the form of Joe Root was uprooted by Josh Hazlewood – perhaps the one dismissal that might be pinned on the pitch – the end was called and Hazlewood duly cleaned up.

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A miserable England side watch the chaos // Getty Images

Those who witnessed England’s abject demise struggled to work out what had happened, but the brutal truth lay in their eleven opponents in Baggy Green caps.

Stung by their defeat in Wales, Australia had turned up in London with all the intent, aggression and purpose that was supposed to characterise the new England and had thrown it forcefully and repeatedly in their horrified hosts’ faces.

Aussies bats unleash on hapless England

The pitch that had been decried, vilified and would doubtless have been exported to the colonies for crimes against the state in an earlier time was at its dozy best in a morning session that Australia used to turn the screw.

David Warner used the absence of threat from the surface as well as rival seamers and spinners to compile his biggest and most assured score of the tour, which looked set to be crowned with an inevitable century until he succumbed to Moeen Ali for the third time in four innings.

Warner's entertaining 83 (Australia only)

But Warner’s exit for 83 provided the cue for Steve Smith to unfurl his extensive repertoire of batting tricks, some of which brought an approving smile to the face of England’s best bowler, Stuart Broad.

In the lippy lead-up to the Ashes, Broad had questioned whether Smith’s unorthodox technique might prove unsuitable for a number three batsman in English conditions, although he later claimed those remarks had been contorted in more ways than Smith’s myriad batting poses.

There have also been qualifying suggestions that the precocious young Australian has yet to be tested on an English pitch, with the Welsh one in the series opener followed by ones that was more Cricket Club of India than Lord’s of London.

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Steve Smith was at his unorthodox best // Getty Images

Which augurs well for Australia’s next tour of the subcontinent (or Sri Lanka next year) given the audacity with which Smith treated England’s premier paceman.

With the on-side and off-side fielders patrolling areas in front of the wicket and Broad bowling full outside off stump, Smith would nonchalantly stroll across his stumps and skew the ball with a flick of his rubber wrists past the stumps and into the vacant fine leg region.

He seemingly could have scored another century to go with his double from the first dig if he had not sacrificed his wicket in the search of a quick kill, slogging at Moeen and losing the off stump he seemed to care so little about in the process.

Smith's swashbuckling fifty (Australia only)

A couple of huge straight sixes to Mitchell Marsh prior to lunch was deemed sufficient insult to England and while the three overs Clarke wanted before the break did not deliver the breakthrough he sought, the remarkable session and half that followed saw them tumble with unforeseen regularity.

Marsh goes big ... twice (Australia only)

And a depressingly familiar lack of resistance.

Indeed, the only mis-steps trodden by Australia across four days of flawless cricket were those that Chris Rogers shortly after he resumed his innings this morning, and which led to his retirement from the field for the remainder of the day.

Rogers suffers dizzy spell

Quick Single: Rogers retires hurt from dizzy spell

The 37-year-old looked uncertain on his feet at the end of the day’s second over, and then fell to his knees as his batting partner David Warner and England opponents gathered around him in concern.

As he stood uncertainly and left the field under his own power, thoughts focused on two recent heavy blows he had suffered to the heads and any possible correlation between them and the onset of a dizzy spell.

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An ill Rogers recovers on the team balcony // Getty Images

 The first of those came when batting in the nets in the Caribbean during the recent Test series there, and forced him to sit out two Tests due to the ongoing effects of concussion.

The second came on the opening day at Lord’s when he failed to evade a skidding bouncer from James Anderson that struck his protective helmet behind his right ear, where the new sheets of plastic ‘honeycomb’ are affixed, causing him to sustain a cut although he continued his Test-best innings.

Rogers cops a nasty blow on day two

Reports later in the day indicated the left-hander was feeling OK and spent some time watching the England batting disaster unfold from the team’s viewing balcony while reading newspapers.

Extended highlights as Aussies conquer Lord's (Australia only)

But the impact this latest incident might have on his physical health and his mindset will be one of the few concerns the Australians face as they eye a relaxed week ahead of the third Test in Birmingham.

By contrast, the new England faces some very familiar challenges after a series that began so well lurched so dramatically into chaos.

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Smith was a deserved man of the match // Getty Images

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