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England vs Australia, 2nd Test at London, , Jul 16 2009 - Ball by Ball Commentary

RESULT
2nd Test, Lord's, July 16 - 20, 2009, Australia tour of England and Scotland
425 & 311/6d
(T:522) 215 & 406

England won by 115 runs

Player Of The Match
1/27, 30* & 5/92
andrew-flintoff
New
AUS 2nd Innings
Full commentary
end of over 1073 runs • 1 wicket
AUS: 406/10CRR: 3.79 
Ben Hilfenhaus4 (4b)
Graeme Swann 28-3-87-4
Andrew Flintoff 27-4-92-5

So that wraps up our live coverage of what has been a monumentally exciting Test. England dominated for the vast majority and were deserved winners with Strauss and Flintoff the stars. For Australia, well, they have plenty to work on before the third Test at Edgbaston. They may not have lost a Lord's Test since 1934 but the good news for Australian fans is that they went on to win that series. Stick around for all the post-match coverage from Alex Brown, Peter English and Andrew Miller. You can start off by checking out the final-day bulletin. And check out the video highlights (UK only). From me, Brydon Coverdale, and Will Luke, it's goodbye for now.

1pm Right, time for the presentations.

Ricky Ponting: "We've always enjoyed playing here, we've had a very proud record here. We were outplayed right through the course of the game, England have been the better team. We've got to bounce back pretty quickly."

"I'm pretty proud of the way we fought the game out. Our bowling in the second innings was as good as it's been through the series. But after lunch on day one we were chasing our tail."

And there's a clap going around Lord's as Ponting comments on the umpiring: "It's all irrelevant. We've been beaten by over 100 runs in a Test." He says Australia can only focus on what they can do to improve.

Andrew Strauss steps up now with a gigantic grin on his face: "It's been a really special victory. To win an Ashes Test match at Lord's is something that plenty of guys have dreamed about over the last 50 or 60 years. We're not going to get carried away, there's plenty of time left in the series."

And Strauss gives special mention to Flintoff, who he says was "magnificent" today. He also admits to a bit of indecision about whether to enforce the follow-on.

"Our medical team will be monitoring him over the coming days but we're still confident of having a fit squad to pick from for the third Test," Strauss says of Kevin Pietersen.

And the Man of the Match is ... drum-roll ... Andrew Flintoff. "A real team performance," he says. Was there any chance Strauss could get the ball out of your hand this morning? "Mate, there was no chance."

And there's a flat "no" when he's asked if he has any thoughts of un-retiring. Although he knows how hard it will be to get through the series and keep up this work-rate.

12.45pm What a victory for England, who have gone 1-0 up and are now in a wonderful position in the series. Flintoff grabs one of the stumps and acknowledges the crowd, gets hugs from all his team-mates after what can only be described as a matchwinning spell this morning, in his last Lord's Test. Fittingly, it's Flintoff who leads England off the field, clapping a stump and the ball together and he gets a standing ovation.

What an exhausting 105 minutes this morning! I can't imagine how tense it was for the players. Test cricket at its best.

"Fred getting that wicket in the first over calmed everyone down," Graeme Swann says. "We knew it was a massive ask for them."

"I was just praying all day yesterday that he'd advance past one," Swann says of the Clarke dismissal. "And it was second ball today."

So it's a 115-run victory, England's first Ashes win at Lord's since 1934. Wow.

106.6
W
Swann to Johnson, OUT

gone! That's it! A 75-year-drought ends as Swann gets one through the advancing Johnson

Mitchell Johnson b Swann 63 (75b 9x4 0x6 94m) SR: 84

The field comes in now

106.5
Swann to Johnson, no run

another marvellous ball, drifts in, turns past the bat and narrowly misses off stump

106.4
Swann to Johnson, no run

tossed up again, Johnson drives to cover

106.3
2
Swann to Johnson, 2 runs

Johnson connects this time, with a slog sweep that is cut off on the boundary by Bopara

106.2
Swann to Johnson, no run

almost! Tosses it up well wide of off, Johnson looks to slog-sweep and it fizzes past the bat

106.1
1
Swann to Hilfenhaus, 1 run

pushes a single away through cover

end of over 10610 runs
AUS: 403/9CRR: 3.80 
Mitchell Johnson61 (70b 9x4)
Ben Hilfenhaus3 (3b)
Andrew Flintoff 27-4-92-5
Graeme Swann 27-3-84-3
105.6
4
Flintoff to Johnson, FOUR runs

brilliant shot! Nothing more than a defensive push, dug out on the off stump, straight back down the ground for four

105.5
Flintoff to Johnson, no run

excellent delivery on the off stump. Johnson goes back to defend on the back foot

105.4
2
Flintoff to Johnson, 2 runs

short of a length and pushed off the back foot for one. No - two. Well run

105.3
Flintoff to Johnson, no run

swing and a miss outside off! That was heading into Berkshire if he connected with that. Or Kent. Somewhere outside London. Not far away from edging it either

105.2
2
Flintoff to Johnson, 2 runs

brilliant yorker! Dug out excellently. That was a fine, fast, deadly delivery

105.1
2
Flintoff to Johnson, 2 runs

and that's carved out square of the wicket, Johnson playing away from his body here but timing it nicely. This little innings might give him a bit of confidence for the Edgbaston Test, and indeed Australia's warm-up against Northants beforehand

Flintoff around the wicket looking for his sixth

end of over 1055 runs
AUS: 393/9CRR: 3.74 
Mitchell Johnson51 (64b 8x4)
Ben Hilfenhaus3 (3b)
Graeme Swann 27-3-84-3
Andrew Flintoff 26-4-82-5
104.6
1
Swann to Johnson, 1 run

tossed up a little slower and nudged to leg

104.5
Swann to Johnson, no run

darts one in full! Very, very full and dug out

Around the wicket

104.4
1
Swann to Hilfenhaus, 1 run

defended out to the off side

104.3
2
Swann to Hilfenhaus, 2 runs

squeezed out on the front foot

104.2
Swann to Hilfenhaus, no run

squeezed out on the front foot

104.1
1
Swann to Johnson, 1 run

tossed up and he defends

Will back. Hello all

end of over 1043 runs • 1 wicket
AUS: 388/9CRR: 3.73 
Mitchell Johnson49 (61b 8x4)
Andrew Flintoff 26-4-82-5
Graeme Swann 26-3-79-3
103.6
W
Flintoff to Siddle, OUT

gone! Flintoff is mobbed by his team-mates here as he angles one in and gets between Siddle's bat and pad, crashes into middle stump! Five-for, for Flintoff, and England are one wicket from a monumental triumph.

Peter Siddle b Flintoff 7 (13b 1x4 0x6 18m) SR: 53.84
103.6
1nb
Flintoff to Siddle, (no ball)

inswinging yorker now, but it's kept out by Siddle and in any case Flintoff has overstepped

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