England vs. Australia, 2nd Test: Day 1 Takeaways from Lord's

Australia bounced back from their defeat in the opening Ashes Test in impressive fashion, piling on the runs on the opening day of the second match of the series.

After winning the toss and opting to bat first at Lord's, the tourists finished Thursday's play on 337 for one.

Chris Rogers made 158 not out and Steve Smith reached stumps unbeaten on 129, with the pair putting on an unbroken second-wicket stand worth 259.

England battled bravely with the ball but were brought back down to earth with a bump after their victory in Cardiff.

Here are some takeaways from the action.

Rogers right at home

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

Rogers was the one Australia batsman in the top order who applied himself in the opening Test, making 95 in his team's first innings.

Although he missed out on a hundred there, he never looked like making the same mistake at Lord’s, a venue he knows well having played as the overseas recruit for Middlesex in the past. His performance led to some notable milestones:

"

Chris Rogers (37y 319d) is the oldest Australian Ashes centurion at @HomeOfCricket since Lindsay Hassett in 1953.

— Investec Cricket (@InvestecCricket) July 16, 2015"

And yet things could have been different had an edge in the very first over gone to hand.

The experienced opener took a chance trying to drive a full ball from James Anderson, but the nick flew over the heads of second and third slip and away for four.

Just like England’s Joe Root—who was dropped second ball by wicketkeeper Brad Haddin in Cardiff before going on to make 134—Rogers cashed in on the early reprieve.

He recorded his first three-figure score in Test cricket since making 107 against South Africa in Port Elizabeth in February 2014. 

However, the left-hander has hardly been in bad touch recently. Here are his last nine scores in Test action: 55, 25, 57, 69, 95, 56, 95, 158 not out. That is not a bad run of form for a man who is retiring at the end of the series.

It's never too late to change your mind, Chris.

On top of the world

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

Smith had started the series rated as the top batsman in the world, according to the ICC rankings.

He made 33 in both knocks in the first Test, scores that were not enough to keep him at the summit. AB de Villiers instead took over, though it might not be for too long.

Smith showed his class with a century at Lord's, despite England’s best efforts to keep him under wraps. He did have a life on 50, Ian Bell putting down a low chance at second slip off the bowling of Ben Stokes.

The home side’s seamers stuck rigidly to a channel well outside off stump, a policy that paid off in Cardiff when Smith was caught at second slip in Australia’s disappointing second innings.

This time, though, he won the game of patience.

The last time Australia played a Test at Lord’s two years ago, Smith was batting down at six. He made just three runs—he had a better game with the ball, picking up four wickets with his leggies. 

Move forward to the summer of 2015 and Smith’s career trajectory has been phenomenal, as Alt Cricket pointed out on Twitter:

"

STATBYTE: Steve Smith in 1st innings of a Test match: 9 centuries, 3 fifties, average 96. pic.twitter.com/QBuynt42Hl

— Alt Cricket (@AltCricket) July 16, 2015"

England expects

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

England’s victory in Cardiff was an outstanding team performance.

They played nigh-on the perfect game in Wales, putting runs on the board in both innings before taking 20 wickets with a day to spare, a real feat on a pitch that offered little assistance to any of the bowlers.

The surface at Lord’s has played in a very similar manner—the major difference for England is they have found Australia a much tougher nut to crack.

Rogers and Smith put the pitch into perspective: It is slow and lacking in any real life.

Former Australia batsman Dean Jones was one of those left unimpressed by the surface, tweeting:

That does not mean it will be easy for England when it comes their turn to bat on it.

They will undoubtedly feel the pressure of responding to a big Australian total and will know Root cannot continuously bail them out after bad starts.

Before then, though, the bowling attack has plenty more work to do. They cannot be faulted for their level of effort but must be wishing the coin had come down differently at the toss.

Warner wastes his chance

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

As Rogers and Smith piled on the runs for the tourists, David Warner must have been kicking himself on the balcony.

The opener made 38 in a hurry only to then perish before lunch, miscuing an attempt to hit Moeen Ali over the top. He was caught by James Anderson in the deep, giving England their one and only breakthrough for the day.

Warner now averages 27.22 in England, well below his career mark of 46.36.

Prior to the second Test, he had spoken about his difficulties adapting to English pitches. He told Sky Sports Radio (h/t Perth Now): “You don’t really feel in on these types of wickets at all.”

The left-hander had battled hard against the new ball yet then opted to play an ill-conceived shot at the spinner in his first over. That's not the way to be dismissed on the first morning of a Lord’s Test. 

Warner couldn’t blame anything, or anyone, but himself for getting out in such a fashion on a flat deck. Everything was in his favour, and he gave it away. 

There is a thin line between aggressive intent and carelessness, and he hacked his way through it.

All stats used in the article are from ESPN Cricinfo