Right, here come the Australian openers to see if they can knock up a lazy couple of hundred like their England counterparts. I'm Brydon Coverdale, taking you through until lunch. Hughes to face Anderson from the Nursery End.

0.1

Anderson to Hughes, no run, on line immediately, no swing first up and Hughes defends

Three slips in place

0.2

Anderson to Hughes, no run, oops, that one's a loosener though, well down leg side

0.3

Anderson to Hughes, no run, 86mph or 138kph, on the stumps and Hughes is trying to clip it through leg, can't get on to it

0.4

Anderson to Hughes, no run, jams this one down into the turf and to square leg

0.5

Anderson to Hughes, no run, tucking Hughes up again, he nudges it down off his hips

No swing yet for JM Anderson

0.6

Anderson to Hughes, no run, short, but misdirected down leg and Hughes has no need to chase it

This is a venue that Phil Hughes knows rather well - he spent a few weeks playing for Middlesex this season with ridiculous success

As Flintoff begins from the Pavilion End, the Queen and Prince Philip take their seats. I bet they didn't queue up from 3am

1.1

Flintoff to Katich, no run, on off stump, pushed away defensively

1.2

Flintoff to Katich, no run, angled across and no shot offered

Short leg in for Flintoff to Katich

1.3

Flintoff to Katich, no run, angled across and Katich lets it go

1.4

Flintoff to Katich, no run, "ohh-oh Freddie!" says Matt Prior, apparently encouraging Flintoff to keep bowling wide of off and not make Katich play

1.5

Flintoff to Katich, no run, ah, but that one is a corker. Pitches on off and seams away, bouncing sharply and beats the outside edge

1.6

Flintoff to Katich, no run, guided down towards gully

2.1

Anderson to Hughes, FOUR, and Australia are off the mark with a solid punch forward of point from Hughes, it wasn't terribly wide but he's quickly onto that and places it well

2.2

Anderson to Hughes, no run, no width this time and Hughes gets in to defend

2.3

Anderson to Hughes, OUT, Anderson strikes! Hughes tries to pull down leg side and England are confident it's tickled his gloves, Rudi Koertzen's left index finger eventually confirms their suspicions

PJ Hughes c †Prior b Anderson 4 (10m 9b 1x4 0x6) SR: 44.44

Great start for England, though that was far from a good delivery

Three slips and a gully

2.4

Anderson to Ponting, no run, good ball, that's where you want to test Ponting early, it's angled in and dead on off-stump, Ponting shuffles across and just gets the bat down in time

2.5

Anderson to Ponting, no run, howzat? No, quick shake of the head from Koertzen. Ponting lunges forward and leaves the ball, it flicks him on the hip on the way through and that was indeed too high

2.6

Anderson to Ponting, no run, fuller length now, Ponting drives to mid-on

3.1

Flintoff to Katich, no run, on off stump, Katich pushes away towards cover

3.2

Flintoff to Katich, no run, that's a good probing line, just a fraction outside off and good bounce, Katich lets it go

3.3

Flintoff to Katich, no run, good bounce again, Katich works it down into the ground and out to point

3.4

Flintoff to Katich, no run, no shot offered outside off, Katich isn't in any hurry to get off the mark

3.5

Flintoff to Katich, no run, on the pads and clipped to mid-on

3.6

Flintoff to Katich, no run, left alone outside off again

"Looking out the window in Newbury at heavy rain, probably coming your way, though might be timed for lunch," reports Owen Matthews. Well Owen, given that I'm in Melbourne, that would be quite a remarkable weather pattern! But point taken, we are expecting rain at Lord's some time today

4.1

Anderson to Ponting, no run, there's a bit of outswing, though it's left alone by Ponting

4.2

Anderson to Ponting, no run, no shot offered once again

4.3

Anderson to Ponting, no run, Ponting lunges forward this time and pushes with purpose, but straight to point

4.4

Anderson to Ponting, 2 runs, and the captain is away with a confident drive wide of cover, though it wasn't quite timed as he may have liked

4.5

Anderson to Ponting, no run, angled in this time, trying to get through the gate, but Ponting drives to mid-on

4.6

Anderson to Ponting, no run, a good bit of inswing there, Ponting defends outside off

Mid on, mid off, fine leg - and the rest of the fieldsmen are in an arc from the keeper to point

5.1

Flintoff to Katich, no run, pushed across Katich, who lets it go

Around the wicket now

5.2

Flintoff to Katich, 4 leg byes, and that one strays down leg, Katich gets some part of his leg to make contact and it runs away to the boundary

5.3

Flintoff to Katich, no run, great ball! Angled in from around the wicket, then it seams away and bounces well, Katich plays and misses

5.4

Flintoff to Katich, no run, fuller this time, Katich defends

5.5

Flintoff to Katich, no run, angled in towards off, Katich blocks it away

5.6

Flintoff to Katich, no run, bouncer time, and Katich ducks under it comfortably

6.1

Anderson to Ponting, no run, nice delivery, probing outside off and Ponting can't get bat on ball, that one just straightened ever so slightly

6.2

Anderson to Ponting, no run, a bit wider this time, Ponting lunges and leaves

6.3

Anderson to Ponting, no run, angled in straighter now, Ponting falls across towards off and drives to mid-on

6.4

Anderson to Ponting, no run, oh, Ponting drives at this one and it slams into the turf, he wants a quick single and then realises what a silly idea that would be

6.5

Anderson to Ponting, no run, left alone outside off

6.6

Anderson to Ponting, OUT, big appeal, and what's happened here? It was a dual lbw/caught appeal and Ponting is out caught at first slip! Angled in, there must've been an inside edge onto the pad and after Koertzen checks if the ball carried, he gives Ponting out!

RT Ponting c Strauss b Anderson 2 (19m 15b 0x4 0x6) SR: 13.33

Well, Ricky Ponting didn't look happy with that call, there was a double noise but Hot Spot and the naked eye indicate that Ponting has struck his boot and the ball has hit pad only, so he's unlucky in one sense. But it might have been lbw anyway, Hawkeye says it would have hit leg.

7.1

Flintoff to Katich, no run, left alone outside off

7.2

Flintoff to Katich, no run, 89mph or 144kph, defended on off stump

7.3

Flintoff to Katich, no run, a bit of inswing from around the wicket, left alone

Over the wicket now

7.4

Flintoff to Katich, 1 run, and Katich gets off the mark, eventually, with a clip behind square leg

7.5

Flintoff to Hussey, no run, left alone outside off, Flintoff is really putting in here

And there's John Howard in the crowd, oh and he's just done some earwax removal, Kevin Rudd-style. Although at least he didn't then go on to taste said wax

7.6

Flintoff to Hussey, no run, solid in defence this time

8.1

Anderson to Katich, 1 run, on the hips, Katich works it away to square leg

8.2

Anderson to Hussey, no run, angled across Hussey, who lets it go

8.3

Anderson to Hussey, no run, right on target, Hussey drops it in front of him and thinks about a quick single, then reconsiders

8.4

Anderson to Hussey, no run, testing Hussey on middle-stump there, he clips it to Cook at leg gully

8.5

Anderson to Hussey, no run, moves across the batsman with the natural angle from over the wicket, Hussey leaves

8.6

Anderson to Hussey, 2 runs, this time Hussey beats the field and gets off the mark with a clip through midwicket

Join our editors in a live chat at lunch - send in your comments to chatterbox@cricinfo.com

9.1

Flintoff to Katich, FOUR, bouncer, and that's well waited by Katich, who gets under it and guides an aerial cut over the cordon and away for four

9.2

Flintoff to Katich, no run, oh! Play and a miss! That's the really dangerous Flintoff ball, angled in from around the wicket, pitching and seaming away, beats the outside edge

9.3

Flintoff to Katich, no run, 90mph or 145kph, short of a length and Katich defends

9.4

Flintoff to Katich, no run, left alone outside off

9.5

Flintoff to Katich, no run, golly gee, that's another great ball, angling in and seaming away, beating Katich's bat and Flintoff is really causing the batsman some headaches here

9.6

Flintoff to Katich, no run, left alone this time

10.1

Anderson to Hussey, no run, and Anderson beats the bat this time, that's a good length, right on off stump and moving away a touch, Hussey can't get bat on it

10.2

Anderson to Hussey, 1 run, on the pads and he works a single to fine leg

10.3

Anderson to Katich, 2 runs, nice shot, Katich just prods this one wide of cover and gets a couple of runs

10.4

Anderson to Katich, no run, defended away to cover

10.5

Anderson to Katich, no run, right on line, testing Katich on off stump, he defends back to the bowler

10.6

Anderson to Katich, no run, angled bat from Katich, who guides it to gully

Flintoff over the wicket for the last over of the session

11.1

Flintoff to Hussey, no run, bouncer! Hussey ducks it, but didn't look terribly comfortable in doing so

11.2

Flintoff to Hussey, no run, pushed away to point

11.3

Flintoff to Hussey, no run, left alone outside off

11.4

Flintoff to Hussey, no run, shortish ball, guided down to point

11.5

Flintoff to Hussey, 1 run, yorker, but Hussey does well to keep it out and work it away to cover to get off the strike

11.6

Flintoff to Katich, no run, 92mph or 149kph, Katich lets it go off his body behind square, takes a run but it's adjudged a dead ball as he didn't play a shot

That's lunch and what an eventful session it was, wickets galore as Australia made a flying start, only to be thwarted by some tail-wagging from Anderson and Onions. And then Anderson and Flintoff tested the Australian top-order with some fast and probing new-ball stuff. During the break you can join our editors in a live chat, check out Alex Brown's bulletin or his update on the injuries in Australia's squad. Will Luke will join you at 1.40pm for the second session.

Anderson to bowl after lunch, with three slips. England are on a Benauding 22 for 2.

Apropos of buck, Steve Wood: "Bucking is the action of a horse kicking its back legs up." I am one slip of the finger away from losing my job. This topic ends immediately. Here come the players!

It's past 1.40pm and there's no cricket being played. This is a travesty. This is what happens when you let the Queen parade on the outfield at lunch. The effrontery, honestly. Few more minutes to go, then we'll have all the juicy coverage you could ever want.

Joshua Heppell connects fingers with keyboard and generates the following nonsense. "I'm starting to think England may need a radical overhaul after this series to encourage some to buck their ideas up." More importantly, where does the phrase "buck their ideas up" come from, and is "buck" ever used outside such a phrase? I wonder.

Word up; welcome back. This session has all the makings of being, well, every bit as exciting as the last. Four minutes and 13 seconds until the resumption. England fans, look at this. Australia fans, look away.

12.1

Anderson to Hussey, no run, short of a length, he's back and defending

12.2

Anderson to Hussey, FOUR, ah that's bewdyfull - straight down the ground for four. Nothing more than a check-push, timed exquisitely

12.3

Anderson to Hussey, 1 run, on his legs, Hussey hustles a single to midwicket

12.4

Anderson to Katich, no run, angled across him, and he wisely leaves it alone

12.5

Anderson to Katich, 2 runs, good line but well played by Katich, gliding it behind square nicely for three. No, two - Hussey had a slip

12.6

Anderson to Katich, no run, nudged off his pad. Wrong line from Anderson

"Wrong line from Anderson" could be the title for a film, really. It's a little murky out there by the way, and Rob writes in to tell us of rain at Liverpool Street. It's a matter of when, not if, the rain comes tumbling down. Ah - here's Broad

13.1

Broad to Hussey, no run, Broad begins well! Cuts back just a touch on the left-hander who shouldered arms. No chance of losing his off stump, but still, it was a stroke full of risk

13.2

Broad to Hussey, no run, energetically punched to backward point. "Waiting. No!" is the noisy call

Hussey looks pumped, like he means business.

13.3

Broad to Hussey, no run, too wide, left alone

13.4

Broad to Hussey, no run, on his legs and flipped to leg

13.5

Broad to Hussey, no run, left alone outside off

13.6

Broad to Hussey, no run, ignored outside off

Jon Harris-Bass, Cricinfo's always-cheery presenter on our always-enjoyable weekly Switch Hit podcast is, as ever, on yet another holiday. "I'm trapped in Bastad (another typo away from disaster)," he moans. "Watching some high calibre tennis, and even higher calibre totty; however, I am missing the Ashes, but keeping abreast of things via Cricinfo's excellent coverage. The bucking exchange reminded me of Michael Slater's conversation with Richie Benaud about whether the word snuck existed or not, and therefore whether he could say the ball snuck past the outside edge. From behind the Racing Post Richie cooly stated, 'Well Michael, there are several 'ucks' that spring to mind, but 'sn' isn't one of them...'" Gawd love him, Benaud

14.1

Anderson to Katich, no run, a touch too wide and left alone

14.2

Anderson to Katich, no run, miles down the leg side and Katich tries to pull it - dangerous stroke and I think he was out like that in Cardiff. No glove on it this time.

14.3

Anderson to Katich, 1 run, on his legs, nudged neatly

14.4

Anderson to Hussey, no run, ducks beneath a shorter delivery

14.5

Anderson to Hussey, no run, little bit too short and wide. Ignored

Anderson's lines are all over the shop here

14.6

Anderson to Hussey, no run, oh dear. Way, way too wide

15.1

Broad to Katich, no run, wide of the off stump and left alone

Ah, the lights are on. If anyone's in St John's Wood, you may notice your fridge defrosting and oven stop working

15.2

Broad to Katich, 1 run, flicked very late to the leg side. Broad throws his hands up partially in disgust, partially in frustration - a heady mix of the two - as he bent that back into the left-hander quite late

15.3

Broad to Hussey, no run, that was apparently 93.5mph. It so was not. Quick enough for Hussey, though, beating him on the outside edge

Encouraging bounce too

"The first use of floodlights in a Test in England," notes Andrew Miller via Gideon Haigh - and as I write, up goes an umbrella

15.4

Broad to Hussey, no run, wide of the off stump

15.5

Broad to Hussey, no run, a waste, left alone

15.6

Broad to Hussey, no run, tripe. Way too wide, and it's raining

We're back. So are the players. Meanwhile, up at Trent Bridge, Steve Harmison is causing a whole heap of damage with 5 for 20. Rampaging form.

2.24pm The covers are coming off and play will resume at 2.40pm, unless it rains again.

The latest from David Lloyd, friend of Cricinfo and Twitter nut. "Warney still on his fitness trip - pizza and chips arrived.Atherton on roasted tartlets of Venison drizzed with apricot infused olive oil." Cracking tweet-action, Bumble. We have a Twitter feed which should subscribe to here, though at the moment it's just a news feed. Might have something exciting in the next few weeks, though.

2.07pm And they're off. Strauss is first out of the blocks and makes a good, energetic start but Pietersen's on his tail and as we approach the first furlong - well, you get the idea. It's a brief shower and on come the covers.

Don't forget to read Alex Brown's bulletin and have a peek at the gallery.

16.1

Anderson to Katich, no run, short of a length and Katich goes back, clunkily pushing it off the back foot - one hand coming off the bat

16.2

Anderson to Katich, no run, short, outside off and defended on the back foot

16.3

Anderson to Katich, no run, beaten! Beaten comprehensively - absolutely no footwork from the concreted Katich as he went for a horribly loose drive outside off

16.4

Anderson to Katich, no run, no no. A waste. Too wide

16.5

Anderson to Katich, no run, makes him play this time, but Katich is quite comfortable off the back foot

16.6

Anderson to Katich, no run, ooh, well he was late on that. Went to leave it and got a thick bottom edge

Thick bottom edge - sounds like a rural town in the English countryside.

A molehill of sawdust is being poured at each end of the bowler's marks. It's murky at Lord's - perfect bowling conditions

17.1

Broad to Hussey, 1 run, well played by Hussey, who has looked in good and urgent form today. Nudges this to leg and steals a single

Tea will be at 4.20pm. It's currently 2.45pm

17.2

Broad to Katich, FOUR, don't bowl there. Crisply punched square of the wicket - he is so strong there

17.3

Broad to Katich, no run, left alone outside off

17.4

Broad to Katich, 1 run, a short-arm punch off the back foot yields a single

17.5

Broad to Hussey, no run, too wide, left alone

17.6

Broad to Hussey, no run, and it's ignored once more

"Broad banging it in isn't going to do anything," nails ESPN's Jonathan Hungin, who's just turned 30. Happy birthday Jon. "Onions should have opened up with Jimmy. The only reason Freddie was on was to get Hughes."

18.1

Anderson to Katich, no run, on the back foot, he defends out to cover

18.2

Anderson to Katich, no run, Katich is well back in his crease, forcing this off the back foot

18.3

Anderson to Katich, no run, wide of the crease, this bends back just a touch on Katich who tries to flash it through cover but the blade closes early, the ball working its way back to the bowler

18.4

Anderson to Katich, no run, shuffles forward tentatively and prods it back to the bowler

Time for Anderson to dart in an inswinging yorker

Around the wicket

18.5

Anderson to Katich, 1 run, steals a single to leg

18.6

Anderson to Hussey, no run, goes for a big pull and nearly dragged this on! That was mighty, might close. Thank god for big boots

19.1

Broad to Katich, FOUR, four - off the bat I think. A leg-side stray. Broad's bowling himself into a long stay down at fine-leg, here, unless he sorts out his line

Around the wicket

19.2

Broad to Katich, 3 runs, crashed through the off side, though without timing it

Rain spotted, I'm afraid

19.3

Broad to Hussey, FOUR, awful ball. A rank long-hop pulled around the corner for four

3.40pm And here come the players, so we're about to get underway

3.25pm Thanks Will, Brydon Coverdale with you now. Hopefully we'll have some cricket for you soon.

In the meantime, Jimmy Page writes in about the first use of floodlights in a Test in England, as opposed to Wales. But more importantly, Jimmy, do you know my father David Coverdale, who performed with you in Coverdale-Page? Well, okay, he may not be that David Coverdale, but I guess the chances are slim that you're that Jimmy Page.

Back to the hot topic, David White reckons it all depends what sort of crossbar: "My bike has a very low crossbar, so I'd have a good old go at getting my St Bernard over it. If it's a rugby goal that's another matter. Probably a labrador at best. Could this be a new sport - more challenging than welly-wangling, and if the projectile is well-trained it could even come back for another go."

3.20pm The covers are coming off - hurrah. I'm off for a cuppa, so here's Brydon until tea or thereabouts.

"It is sort of not dank here right now," says Miller. These showers are certainly flicking across London at a fair old pace, so we should have some play shortly I'm sure.

"Why are we talking about throwing things over crossbars? This is cricket surely it should be a sightscreen?" Good call, Tony.

Lots of photos available for you. Nice piece on Allan Border, too. And check out our Quote Unquote section too where we shame people with the words that come out of their mouths.

"Surely Jonathan at the FSA is far too busy preventing the banking industry spending all our money to be reading the cricket commentary!" says Dave Shroder. No comment.

3.00pm "The rain has stopped in Maida Vale...clear skies your way in 5 minutes!" announces Sarah Boulton, with insatiable glee. She also reckons she could throw a badger over a crossbar, so apply plenty of salt with her comments.

Apropos of silly village names, "I've always enjoyed, in Wiltshire, Jacks Bush," says Jonathan Rowe. My mother lives in Slapton, which never fails to make me laugh. Steve Heylings: "I take Mackay's Six Mile Bottom in Cambridgeshire and trump it with my Waterly Bottom in Gloucestershire." Triumphantly trumped.

"Sun is shining in Canary Wharf...hopefully it won't be too long off this time!" Thanks, Andrew, from the FSA.

"What do you think is the largest animal you could throw over a crossbar?" asks a feedbacker. Depends how high the bar is, but I'd reckon a chicken could be a successful choice.

"'Thick bottom edge' as the name for a village in England is not so wide of the mark," notes Andrew Mackay. "I chortle every time I drive past Six Mile Bottom in Cambridgeshire."

2.55pm And off they go. Good grief this is frustrating. On come the covers. The rain isn't heavy by any means, so don't go anywhere - we oughtn't be too long.

19.4

Broad to Hussey, no run, pushed across Hussey, who leaves it alone

19.5

Broad to Hussey, no run, good line, Broad gives a shout but it's hit bat and pad together and no umpire is likely to give that

19.6

Broad to Hussey, no run, left alone outside off

And it's time for Onions from the Nursery End

20.1

Onions to Katich, no run, fullish outside off to start, Katich drives to mid-off

20.2

Onions to Katich, no run, right up there again, very full to entice a drive, Katich does so to cover

20.3

Onions to Katich, no run, left alone outside off this time

20.4

Onions to Katich, no run, pushed across the left-hander, he leaves it to go through to Prior

20.5

Onions to Katich, 1 run, clipped away to midwicket and they scamper a single

A few cheers as Australia reach a laboured and lengthy 50

20.6

Onions to Hussey, no run, bouncer, not a bad line but it's just a tad too high and Hussey is easily underneath it

21.1

Broad to Katich, 1 run, on the legs, flicked away for a single behind square

21.2

Broad to Hussey, 2 runs, too straight again, worked easily off his hips for a single

Tea is at 4.20pm, we've lost only four overs despite 79 minutes of rain delay. Apparently play can go on until 7.40pm

21.3

Broad to Hussey, no run, pushed away to point

21.4

Broad to Hussey, no run, nudged into the off side again

21.5

Broad to Hussey, no run, straight-bat defence here, Broad isn't looking too threatening here

21.6

Broad to Hussey, 1 run, clipped away through midwicket

22.1

Onions to Hussey, FOUR, good shot, Hussey is quickly into position to pull a short one down and through midwicket for a comfortable boundary

22.2

Onions to Hussey, no run, left alone outside off

22.3

Onions to Hussey, no run, 89mph or 143kph, Hussey defends to cover

22.4

Onions to Hussey, no run, 'no run', says Hussey, echoing our scorer, as he bunts it to cover

22.5

Onions to Hussey, no run, that one keeps a bit low, on off stump but Hussey is alert enough to get down to it

22.6

Onions to Hussey, no run, oops, way down leg side

Broad around the wicket

23.1

Broad to Katich, 1 run, angled in to the pads, Katich clips it away to leg

And over the wicket to Hussey

23.2

Broad to Hussey, no run, dead-batted away to the off side

Well, the sun is out now, though there's still some cloud around

23.3

Broad to Hussey, FOUR, nicely placed this time, Hussey just guides a drive fractionally wide of the man diving at cover and his timing is good enough to reach the boundary

That's the 50 partnership

23.4

Broad to Hussey, no run, driven to cover

23.5

Broad to Hussey, no run, full and straight, Hussey prods it to cover again

23.6

Broad to Hussey, no run, short, Hussey shapes to pull but then checks himself as it sails past wide of off stump

No real swing available for either Onions or Broad here

24.1

Onions to Katich, no run, 90mph or 145kph, angled across Katich, who lets it go

24.2

Onions to Katich, no run, ah, that's a good'un! It's pitched on off and straightened off the seam sharply, also some extra bounce and it nips just past Katich's inside edge

24.3

Onions to Katich, no run, left alone outside off this time, Prior drops the take, which is probably something of a contradiction

24.4

Onions to Katich, no run, tempting, tempting outside off and Katich chastises himself for chasing that one, it was wide outside off, moving away and he's lucky his slash didn't connect

24.5

Onions to Katich, no run, 91mph or 146kph, down leg side and Katich doesn't need to play

24.6

Onions to Katich, no run, another leave outside off, and another fumble from Prior

25.1

Broad to Hussey, 1 run, on the pads again, Broad has strayed there too often, and it's easy to clip away to fine leg

Around the wicket

25.2

Broad to Katich, 1 run, tries to york Katich, but he flicks it comfortably through midwicket

25.3

Broad to Hussey, no run, short ball, Hussey sways out of the way

25.4

Broad to Hussey, 2 runs, shouts of 'caaaatch', and that could easily have gone to hand in the deep, Hussey hooked a bouncer and couldn't keep it down, there's two men in the deep and it's landed safely a few metres wide of deep midwicket

25.5

Broad to Hussey, no run, another bouncer, this time Hussey leaves it and Prior makes a terrific grab hurling himself to his left

In comes short-leg

25.6

Broad to Hussey, FOUR, a bouncer, predictably, but that's a magnificent pull from Hussey, he gets over it and hammers it forward of midwicket, it wasn't that wide of a diving Pietersen in the deep but it was struck with such force that he couldn't save the boundary

26.1

Onions to Katich, no run, left alone outside off

Swann is warming up here, there's only 10 minutes until tea so we may see some spin

26.2

Onions to Katich, FOUR, fullish and wide, Katich flashes at a squarish drive and it races away to the cover-point boundary

26.3

Onions to Katich, no run, no shot offered outside off

26.4

Onions to Katich, FOUR, he's picked the gap again, this time just behind point with a good cut straight down into the turf

26.5

Onions to Katich, no run, fullish ball, this time Katich walks across - as he nearly always does - but then flicks a drive to mid-on

26.6

Onions to Katich, no run, solid in defence this time

Time for spin now, Graeme Swann comes on and he's going to bowl with sunglasses, which makes it look a bit like he's blind. Silly point and a slip.

27.1

Swann to Hussey, no run, straight ball, defended to leg

He's around the wicket, by the way

27.2

Swann to Hussey, FOUR, that's a really good drive, he's picked a gap in the covers and it runs away to the boundary

27.3

Swann to Hussey, no run, pushed away towards point, no spin yet from Swann

27.4

Swann to Hussey, no run, yorker length, Hussey squeezes it out

27.5

Swann to Hussey, no run, defended back down the pitch

27.6

Swann to Hussey, no run, no turn again, straight ball and Hussey blocks it away

28.1

Onions to Katich, 1 run, short of a length, Katich drops it to cover and they hurry through for a single

28.2

Onions to Hussey, 1 run, that's a vicious pull but just the single, he's so quickly into position for that one and slams it to deep midwicket, straight to the man on the boundary

28.3

Onions to Katich, no run, pushed across and left alone

28.4

Onions to Katich, no run, just outside off, Katich prods it back down the pitch

28.5

Onions to Katich, no run, angled across again, no shot offered, and no swing for Onions

28.6

Onions to Katich, 2 runs, cuts this one straight down into the turf, it bounces over gully and Katich picks up a couple to finish the session

So that's tea after an interrupted session. A good fightback from Katich and Hussey after England had all the running early in Australia's innings. One can only wonder how things may have panned out had Steve Harmison been in the attack. He's picked up a lazy 6 for 20 for Durham. Join us at 4.40pm for what should be an extended final session.

Welcome back, all. Will here. The finish time tonight is about midnight, so bed in. I've about 40 biscuits to get me through the next hour, so all's well. Three slips and a gully and here comes Fred

29.1

Flintoff to Hussey, no run, left alone outside off

29.2

Flintoff to Hussey, no run, wide of the crease, helping with his angle across the left-hander. And what an angle it was. Obtuse

29.3

Flintoff to Hussey, no run, pushed out to the off side

29.4

Flintoff to Hussey, no run, good pace (90.8mph), lifting up and away from the left-hander

29.5

Flintoff to Hussey, no run, ooh well bowled - straight bouncer to which he sways out of the way. That flew through

29.6

Flintoff to Hussey, 3 runs, a confident push out past cover for a couple. Nicely played

Here comes Onions

30.1

Onions to Hussey, no run, wide of the off stump and left alone

30.2

Onions to Hussey, no run, that's a cracker! A fine, fine delivery which shapes back on the left-hander who left it alone on length

30.3

Onions to Hussey, FOUR, smashing shot. In every sense. Hussey has absolutely laced that through cover!

30.4

Onions to Hussey, 1 run, fuller delivery, squeezed out on the front foot

Around the wicket

30.5

Onions to Katich, FOUR, banged down the ground. Power! Nothing more than a bunt down the ground and it fairly raced away for four

30.6

Onions to Katich, 1 run, nudged off his hip and Australia's 100 is up

31.1

Flintoff to Katich, 2 runs, uppishly driven, away from his body - not in control of that

31.2

Flintoff to Katich, no run, good length on the off stump and it's defended out to cover

31.3

Flintoff to Katich, no run, leaves this alone outside off, and again Flintoff's getting good lift off a decent length

31.4

Flintoff to Katich, 1 run, on the off stump Katich, as ever, shuffles to the off side and nudges to leg

Around the wicket

31.5

Flintoff to Hussey, no run, very well bowled. Holds its line and, though it was a little too short, that wasn't far away from the off stump

31.6

Flintoff to Hussey, no run, ignored outside off

32.1

Onions to Katich, no run, firmly spanked to mid-off

32.2

Onions to Katich, no run, short of a length and left alone outside off

32.3

Onions to Katich, no run, good length but too wide. Left alone comfortably

32.4

Onions to Katich, OUT, this is up in the air at fine leg - what a catch! A stunner from Broad. On the pull, he top-edged it and Broad ran 10 or 12 yards to his right before diving, taking it low. Brilliant

SM Katich c Broad b Onions 48 (141m 93b 6x4 0x6) SR: 51.61

England really needed that. Katich and Hussey put on 93 at a fair lick, and were beginning to look comfortable. Stunning, athletic catch - he never looked like dropping it

32.5

Onions to Hussey, FOUR, four! Oh yes. Beautiful shot - Hussey has looked supremely confident today. Here, he comes forward and drives through extra cover with the ball right under his nose

32.6

Onions to Hussey, no run, a full toss but he escapes major punishment, Pietersen cleaning up at mid-off

Three slips and a gully, short leg, leg gully. England massively on the attack

33.1

Flintoff to Clarke, no run, ooh, a good nut from Flintoff - cuts back sharply on Clarke who shouldered arms

33.2

Flintoff to Clarke, no run, nasty bouncer. That flew - that really shot through

33.3

Flintoff to Clarke, 1 run, flicked to leg

The crowd are alive, right behind Flintoff here

33.4

Flintoff to Hussey, (no ball) 1 run, on his legs, nudged to leg and there's a gutsy and authoritative fifty from Hussey, from 82 balls

33.4

Flintoff to Clarke, no run, too wide, though it bent back slightly in the air. Clarke sways out of the way

33.5

Flintoff to Clarke, no run, solid defensive on the back foot. 93.6mph

33.6

Flintoff to Clarke, no run, wide of the off stump and left alone

Play could go onto til as long as 7.40pm tonight. Good grief.

34.1

Onions to Hussey, no run, steps forward, shouldering arms

34.2

Onions to Hussey, no run, goes on the pull and a huge appeal from Onions as Prior takes the ball. Not out! Looks like it brushed the shirt, or thigh-pad, or something. An excellent decision

34.3

Onions to Hussey, 1 run, another pull, down into the ground

Two slips in place, packed off-side field for Clarke

34.4

Onions to Clarke, no run, well wide

34.5

Onions to Clarke, no run, left alone outside off, again a little too wide really

34.6

Onions to Clarke, no run, left alone outside off and Prior fumbles it as it crept through low on him

35.1

Flintoff to Hussey, no run, down the leg side at 92.3mph, though Hussey did have a faint attempt at nudging. A fudging, if you like. Or perhaps not.

35.2

Flintoff to Hussey, no run, good one. Short and straight, zeroing in on his heart

35.3

Flintoff to Hussey, no run, squeezed out off a thick outside edge. Superb stop by a diving Pietersen at point

35.4

Flintoff to Hussey, no run, defended on the off stump. 93.6mph apparently, but I just can't believe or trust the speedo any longer

35.5

Flintoff to Hussey, no run, blocked off the back foot

35.6

Flintoff to Hussey, OUT, bowled him! He's bowled him! Hussey's left a straight one! 95.1mph on the off stump, held its line and smashed the top of off

MEK Hussey b Flintoff 51 (127m 91b 8x4 0x6) SR: 56.04

Well, England lost wickets on 222 and 333 yesterday, and now Australia have lost one on their own Nelson, 111. And like Strauss earlier in the day, Hussey's left a straight one. Well, well - this game is moving along at pace!

36.1

Anderson to Clarke, no run, sharp pace and movement back into the right-hander, who appeals after rattling him very near the crown jewels. Much too high

36.2

Anderson to Clarke, no run, that's good from Anderson - a testing off-stump line, bending back into a nervous-looking Clarke

36.3

Anderson to Clarke, OUT, he's gone too! Clarke's whipped an inswinger to midwicket - that was definitely a plan and Cook took a good, very low catch

MJ Clarke c Cook b Anderson 1 (21m 12b 0x4 0x6) SR: 8.33

Double-wicket Nelson strikes! Australia are in a hole here

Lord's is alive. Huge, cacophonous noise!

36.4

Anderson to Haddin, no run, Anderson sends it wide of the off stump and he leaves it well alone

36.5

Anderson to Haddin, 3 runs, well defended on the back foot - oh, no, a misfield! Hapless effort from backward point. Bopara the guilty one

112 needed to avoid the follow-on. England are in a supremely strong position here

36.6

Anderson to North, no run, on the off stump and driven with confidence out to cover

There's a substitute fielder on who looks about 12. Here comes Flintoff

37.1

Flintoff to Haddin, no run, big shout as Flintoff cuts this back in, but that'll be too high, surely. And yes, it's given not out, but Flintoff's bowling like the wind here - heavy, nasty deliveries

37.2

Flintoff to Haddin, FOUR, he's timed the leather off that! What a superb off-drive from Haddin, standing tall and holding the pose with a terrific, classy shot. This guy is a serious bat

37.3

Flintoff to Haddin, no run, shuffles back, gets right in line

37.4

Flintoff to Haddin, no run, that has flown through. Left alone outside off and it lifts nastily. Flintoff glares, sweat pouring off his head. What a terrifying sight he is

37.5

Flintoff to Haddin, no run, brilliant! Cuts back into Haddin, the ball gets trapped in the flap of his right pad. Haddin skips away from the fielder nervously with the ball still lodged, worried someone might pluck it and claim a catch, but eventually realises the ball is dead! Good moment; light and temporary relief in the midst of a hurricane of an over

37.6

Flintoff to Haddin, no run, left alone outside off to end a seriously fast over

38.1

Anderson to North, no run, wide of the crease, late swing into his off stump

38.2

Anderson to North, no run, swinging away from the left-hander

38.3

Anderson to North, no run, well wide of the off stump

38.4

Anderson to North, no run, comfortably left alone, though Anderson's generating some serious wheels and bending the ball like Beckham

38.5

Anderson to North, no run, defended on the back foot

38.6

Anderson to North, 4 byes, wide of the off stump and it shoots through a little low on Prior, though he really should've stopped that

39.1

Flintoff to Haddin, no run, he jumps back to defend

39.2

Flintoff to Haddin, 2 leg byes, ooh, fends this off his hip I think. Aggressive, nasty bowling from Flintoff

39.3

Flintoff to Haddin, FOUR, what a shot! A square-drive of class and flair, playing it behind point. Superb stuff from Haddin. He's such a great player to watch

...and I note he's not wearing an arm-guard which is rare to see these days, especially when Flintoff's bowling

39.4

Flintoff to Haddin, 1 no ball, jumps back and defends

39.4

Flintoff to Haddin, 3 runs, that hurried him! Even on the back foot, Haddin had to jab down on it late and flick it through midwicket. Timed it well

39.5

Flintoff to North, no run, massive pace again from Flintoff and he's back, across and defending

39.6

Flintoff to North, no run, North steps back to block it off the back foot, and Flintoff - puce in the face, sweat pouring off him - glares back as though ready to knock his block off

40.1

Anderson to Haddin, no run, inswinger, bashed back to Anderson. Good length, good pace - Anderson's on the money here

40.2

Anderson to Haddin, no run, swings back late on Haddin and that kept horribly low - he did so well to get his bat in front of the stumps! Anderson's bending it markedly, at pace

40.3

Anderson to Haddin, no run, swings back again, and Haddin is watchfully jabbing a defensive to leg

Haddin pulls out very late - and apologises to Anderson. A pigeon flew across his line of sight. Haddin plays the game in the right spirit, from what little I've seen of him. Touch, uncompromising but fair

40.4

Anderson to Haddin, 3 runs, flicked to leg

40.5

Anderson to North, no run, rare tripe from Anderson, miles wide of the off stump

Never had tripe, me.

40.6

Anderson to North, no run, full delivery on the off stump but very well played by North, crunching it hard back past the bowler. This game is alive - it's buzzing like you wouldn't believe

A bleary-eyed Brydon is ready for another stint, as is Broad. Thanks Will.

41.1

Broad to Haddin, no run, straight ball to start, Haddin defends

41.2

Broad to Haddin, no run, bunted back down the pitch again

41.3

Broad to Haddin, no run, driven hard into the ground, it bounces high and Haddin protects his stumps

41.4

Broad to Haddin, FOUR, nice shot from Haddin, he's driven that just wide of mid-on, where Anderson dives over the ball and it dribbles away to the boundary for four, not superbly timed but he did enough

41.5

Broad to Haddin, no run, defended to leg this time

41.6

Broad to Haddin, no run, pushed to mid-off and there's no run

Anderson is strapping up his left ankle here, and getting some sort of tablet from the physio

42.1

Anderson to North, no run, angled across North, who lets it go

42.2

Anderson to North, no run, left alone again, this one straightens but not enough to take the off stump

42.3

Anderson to North, OUT, gone! North looks to pull but it wasn't short enough and he ran out of room, drags a thick inside edge back onto his stumps.

MJ North b Anderson 0 (33m 14b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

Well bowled Anderson, he's kept the pressure up tremendously well and 4 for 27 reflects the effort he's put in. It was a long duck for North. And now here's Mitchell Johnson, who can be thoroughly entertaining with the bat, if he gets it out of the middle

42.4

Anderson to Johnson, no run, left alone to start with

42.5

Anderson to Johnson, no run, angled across Johnson, who leaves it

42.6

Anderson to Johnson, no run, good ball, pitches on off and moves away a touch, Johnson plays and misses

Pietersen is getting treatment on his achilles, that's why he's off the field

43.1

Broad to Haddin, no run, Haddin leans into a cover-drive here, can't beat the field

43.2

Broad to Haddin, no run, Broad appeals, Doctrove denies him. Angled in to Haddin, it hits him above the knee-roll on the front leg, which was off the ground, so height was an issue as was the angle

43.3

Broad to Haddin, 1 run, angled in again and it's skewed off a thick inside edge

Three slips now

43.4

Broad to Johnson, no run, cramps Johnson up, he nudges it down off his hips

43.5

Broad to Johnson, FOUR, that's a solid pull from Johnson to get him off the mark. Shortish on off stump, he gets into position quickly and rolls the wrists, good shot.

43.6

Broad to Johnson, no run, bouncer now, and Johnson ducks

44.1

Anderson to Haddin, no run, probing outside off, Haddin defends with a straight bat

44.2

Anderson to Haddin, 2 runs, pushed through cover and they get a couple of runs

44.3

Anderson to Haddin, 2 runs, another lovely cover-drive but there's a man out in the deep to keep it to two

44.4

Anderson to Haddin, no run, left alone outside off

44.5

Anderson to Haddin, no run, very solid in defence this time

44.6

Anderson to Haddin, no run, nudged away to cover, no real swing there

45.1

Broad to Johnson, no run, bangs it in short, Johnson pushes it down defensively

45.2

Broad to Johnson, no run, bouncer, Johnson thinks about hooking and then changes his mind

45.3

Broad to Johnson, no run, no shot offered outside off

45.4

Broad to Johnson, no run, angled across Johnson, who leaves it

45.5

Broad to Johnson, OUT, another one falls for the trap! Broad bangs it in short and Johnson hooks, but he can't keep it down, it skies out to Cook at deep square leg

MG Johnson c Cook b Broad 4 (13m 11b 1x4 0x6) SR: 36.36

So Broad strikes for the first time this innings and Australia are in serious danger of having to follow on now, they need another 78 to avoid the possibility

45.6

Broad to Haddin, 2 runs, flicked away off his pads through square leg, it races away quickly but Onions makes good ground to pull off an effective, if not exactly pretty, save

Hauritz faces up now, this might test his injured finger

46.1

Anderson to Hauritz, no run, on off stump, he defends this one safely

46.2

Anderson to Hauritz, no run, short ball, wide of off and Hauritz leaves it

46.3

Anderson to Hauritz, no run, no shot offered outside off

46.4

Anderson to Hauritz, 1 run, punches through cover off the back foot to get off the mark

46.5

Anderson to Haddin, no run, probing outside off, but Haddin lets it go

46.6

Anderson to Haddin, no run, Haddin gets in behind it to defend

It's getting a bit gloomy out there, the umpires are having a chat but there's no hint of a bad-light decision. It seems it's the shadows from the floodlights that are causing problems

47.1

Broad to Hauritz, no run, bouncer, Hauritz ducks underneath it

47.2

Broad to Hauritz, 1 run, on the hips, Hauritz clips it away in the air over square leg, safely short of the man in the deep

47.3

Broad to Haddin, no run, angled in and bounces over off stump as Haddin lets it go

47.4

Broad to Haddin, no run, driven to mid-on this time

Russell Crowe is in the Sky commentary box now. His cousin Jeff is in the match referee's box, incidentally

47.5

Broad to Haddin, OUT, Broad strikes with another short one! Haddin hooks but doesn't get enough of it and it bobs up to midwicket where Cook takes the catch

BJ Haddin c Cook b Broad 28 (28m 38b 3x4 0x6) SR: 73.68

47.6

Broad to Siddle, no run, Siddle could've expected a short one first up, but he gets a fuller ball outside off that he can leave alone

Anderson ploughs on for another over, what a day he's had

48.1

Anderson to Hauritz, no run, outside off and left alone

48.2

Anderson to Hauritz, 1 run, punched through cover off the back foot, Bopara knocks it down and keeps it to a single

48.3

Anderson to Siddle, 3 runs, guided - though perhaps not deliberately - wide of gully and Siddle is off the mark

48.4

Anderson to Hauritz, no run, fullish length, punched back down the pitch

48.5

Anderson to Hauritz, no run, straight ball, defended to the off side by Hauritz

48.6

Anderson to Hauritz, no run, nudged away to cover again and can't beat the field

6.43pm Right, it's officially stumps on day two, a day that belonged entirely to England. A reminder that play will not begin early tomorrow to make up for lost time - the regulations for Test cricket in England don't allow for early starts. So join Will Luke and myself, Brydon Coverdale, at 10.30am to see just how quickly England can finish off this Australian tail.

6.35pm The covers are on now as there's a sprinkle of rain over Lord's.

6.24pm And here's a conference between the two umpires, Billy Doctrove does a strange little exercise holding the ball down on the pitch to check the shadows. They offer the light to Australia and of course it's accepted. You'd have to think that'll be it for the day, it's hard to imagine the light getting any better but we'll keep you updated if there are any further developments.

England have thoroughly dominated the first two days and their remarkable record of not having beaten Australia at Lord's in 75 years could well end in the next few days. Yesterday was all about Andrew Strauss, today it was James Anderson who led from the front, first by frustrating Australia's bowlers and then with four important wickets. Andrew Flintoff also bowled a fast and fiery spell and apart from Katich and Hussey, the Australians haven't looked effective at the crease.

Remember, it's not officially stumps yet, but we'll let you know when that decision comes through.

Here come England, galloping out to the middle under blue skies. Few clouds dotted around, but it's a really perfect day for one of the finest days in Britain's sporting calendar: a Saturday at Lord's. Doesn't get much better really. The big question is whether England will enforce the follow-on: Australia still need another 70 to avoid it. My money's on England batting again.

Andrew Miller has galloped into the press box, fired up his laptop - err, or has he? "Good morning, one and all. Though a pus-filled and despicable morning to the thieving **** who swiped my laptop in the aptly named Champion pub in Notting Hill last night. You know who you are, and you will die. Oh yes." Thieving swine. Don't cross Miller.

If you have anything to say for yourselves, you should click here. Alex Brown is one of three Cricinfo editors at the ground, and assures me he has plenty to say for himself, but he's currently inhaling his breakfast. In the meantime, I'm listening to the sound of our summer, the Duckworth Lewis Method. Ten minutes to go.

10.20am Good morning and welcome to Cricinfo's coverage of the third day at Lord's. Brydon Coverdale will be here soon to join me, Will Luke, and we're both emphatically up for today's action after the thrills and spills of yesterday. Australia are in a hole, still needing a further 70 to avoid the follow-on, with just two wickets remaining. Impossibly exciting, I'm sure you agree. The weather is set fair, and we're about 40 minutes away from the start.

49.1

Broad to Siddle, no run, Broad starts with a Bouncer, to which Siddle ducks and smiles

49.2

Broad to Siddle, no run, another bouncer, comfortably ducked beneath

49.3

Broad to Siddle, no run, the third bouncer in a row and again Siddle ducks. 91mph, apparently. That speedgun is about as reliable as a chocolate fire guard

49.4

Broad to Siddle, no run, a short bumper down the leg side. This is a pointless over so far

49.5

Broad to Siddle, no run, at last Broad makes Siddle play, and he defends with pleasing solidity

49.6

Broad to Siddle, 1 run, touch of bounce, Siddle fends it to leg off his glove, steals the strike - and, indeed, retains it. Well done him