Australia takes 54-run lead against England
By Vic Mills
LONDON (JP): A stunning bowling performance by Glenn McGrath on the third morning of the Second Test at Lord's has left Australia with an unexpected chance of victory.
With two days remaining, the tourists lead England by 54 runs with eight first inning's wickets standing.
In an extraordinary first session, England were bowled out for 77 -- their lowest Test score at Lord's this century -- with the last seven wickets falling for just 39.
The lull before the storm, Graham Thorpe began in a confident mood, square cutting consecutive fours off Shane Warne. With runs at a premium, Mark Taylor replaced his leg spinner with Paul Reiffel. Batting immediately became difficult.
The Victorian took a wicket in his first over by enticing Thorpe to prod a bat-pad catch to Blewett at short leg. Events then took a dramatic turn.
Scarcely wavering in line and length, McGrath exploited the uneven bounce to the full.
John Crawley became his fourth victim, caught behind Ian Healy. McGrath collected his first five-wicket haul against England, the seventh of his Test career, by trapping the Edgbaston double-centurion, Nasser Hussain, leg before wicket for 19 to leave England in the perilous position of 62 for six.
The procession continued as the lower order batsmen had no answer to a pitch offering unpredictable movement and erratic bounce.
Robert Croft, attempting to hit his way out of trouble, succeeded only in edging a wide delivery from McGrath to Healy. The same combination accounted for Darren Gough who top-edged a short ball to the keeper.
Mark Ealham delayed the inevitable before looping a gentle catch to Matthew Elliot at mid-wicket off Reiffel. McGrath completed the rout by taking Andrew Caddick leg before.
Reveling in the moment, McGrath strode off to a standing ovation and into the record books with the third best Test analysis ever by an Australian. His eight for 38 in 20.3 overs was also the best bowling performance by an Australian at Lord's.
For England and their supporters, the honeymoon was over. The euphoria of Edgbaston was replaced by a realism as bleak and gloomy as the weather.
Gough brought the home crowd briefly to life by bowling Taylor off an inside-edge with the Australian score on four. Fortunes subsided thereafter as Greg Blewett and Matthew Elliot, aided and abetted by four dropped catches, added 69 for the second wicket.
Severe on anything over-pitched, Blewett produced some sparkling cover drives before Croft had him caught at slip by Hussain for 45. With Elliot and Mark Waugh unbeaten on 55 and 26 respectively, Australia ended the day 131 for two.