England ride luck as rain hits second test

England rode their luck to reach 55 for one at tea on the first day of the rain-affected second Ashes test against Australia at Lord's on Thursday.

Marcus Trescothick was the one casualty as England's progress, after losing the toss for the ninth test in succession, was delayed by 90 minutes at the start following rain and a further 60-minute break for bad light and rain after lunch.

The players were forced off the Lord's pitch again just before tea by the heaviest downpour of the day.

The first passage of play had lasted a mere 20 minutes and 20 deliveries, Michael Atherton and Trescothick sharing two meaningful shots and one fortunate escape between them as they struggled to 11 without loss.

Atherton, standing in for injured captain Nasser Hussain, played and missed twice in Glenn McGrath's first over before hooking the pace bowler for four.

Marcus Trescothick then cut Jason Gillespie for a further boundary only to be dropped moments later at second slip by Mark Waugh off a Gillespie no-ball.

The Somerset left-hander continued to lead a charmed life when play resumed after an early lunch.

First he drove Gillespie just short of Steve Waugh in the gully, then, on nine, he shaped to cut the same bowler and sent the ball flying through the six-man slip cordon.

Atherton, meanwhile, mixed some fine shots off McGrath, driving him twice to the extra-cover fence, with some optimistic fencing against Gillespie's swing and seam movement, one ball squaring him up before flying past the outside edge.

Trescothick's luck ran out when, on 15 and with the total on 33, he drove at Gillespie without moving his feet and was caught behind. Television replays suggested the bowler had overstepped.

Mark Butcher, another left-hander, joined Atherton and square cut Gillespie for four before Shane Warne, who dominated him in the first test, was brought on.

Butcher, however, pulled his first ball for four before Warne induced Atherton to prod him straight to short leg only for the sharp chance to go down.

Australia lead the five-match series 1-0 after winning at Edgbaston by an innings and 118 runs.

England, who have won just once against Australia at Lord's in 105 years, made three changes to their team, drafting in batsmen Graham Thorpe, who returned after a calf injury, and Mark Ramprakash as well as bowler Dominic Cork after opting for an all-seam attack.

Australia, the world's top test side with 17 wins in 19 games, named an unchanged team on Wednesday, preferring Brett Lee's outright pace to in-form seamer Damien Fleming.

Scorecard

Mail Cricket Editor