Ashes 2023: Australia Overcome Ben Stokes's 155 To Beat England And Take 2-0 Series Lead at Lord's

Australia overcame a heroic innings from Ben Stokes to beat England by 43 runs in the second Ashes Test at Lord's and take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series on Sunday.

Chasing a mammoth 371 for victory, England got bowled out for 327 in the second session of Day 5 after a thrilling passage of play.

Resuming the final innings at 114 for 4, England lost in-form opener Ben Duckett for 83 after he shared a 132-run partnership with Stokes for the fifth wicket.

Bairstow's dismissal sparks controversy at Lord's

Then came a controversial moment as Jonny Bairstow was given out stumped after he ventured out of his crease in the 52nd over of the chase, after ducking a bouncer from Cameron Green.

Wicketkeeper Alex Carey got a direct hit on the stumps as he saw Bairstow out of his crease. The Aussies appealed, leaving Bairstow in complete disbelief as he thought the ball was dead after Carey caught it.

Aussies abused and booed by Lord's crowd

But the third umpire, after looking at multiple replays gave it Out, much to the disappointment of England fans and the team. The Aussies had to deal with boos and jeers from the crowd while the MCC members in the Long Room at Lord's also abused the players when they walked in for the Lunch break.

But all this didn't deter Stokes, who took it upon himself to get England over the line. He stated to play his natural attacking game and took the Aussie bowlers to the cleaners.

Ben Stokes magic almost got England over the line

Stokes stitched a 108-run stand with Stuart Broad, doing bulk of the scoring himself. Till the time he was at the crease, it seemed like England would easily cross the finish line even though they had just 4 wickets in hand.

But the equation changed completely after Josh Hazlewood got the big wicket of Stokes, who got out on 155 while trying to hit a short delivery out of the park.

Stokes got a standing ovation for his heroic innings but the fate of the match was sealed there and then as England collapsed from 301 for 6 to 327-all out within a matter of a few overs after the captain's dismissal.

Fast bowlers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins bagged three wickets each while Cameron Green got one for the Aussies.