IRELAND HIT BY RAMPANT HOSTS

IRELAND face an uphill battle to take only their seventh Test into a fourth day and batting coach Gary Wilson was unsure if opener James McCollum would bat again after he twisted his ankle yesterday evening.

Wilson said: “He has gone to hospital for scans and we don’t have a further update.

“He’s very disappointed, but he might be back tomorrow. We don’t know yet.”

Ireland suffered as Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope led a record-breaking England innings.

Third

But Harry Tector (33) and Lorcan Tucker (21) frustrated England at the end of yesterday’s play to at least bring the match into a third day.

Duckett smashed 182 and hit the quickest 150 seen at Lord’s.

He took just 150 balls, beating the previous best of Don Bradman in the 1930 Ashes.

Pope also knocked up a double century.

Joe Root also passed 11,000 Test runs on his return to the long game, hitting a half-century.

England declared on 524-4 before Josh Tongue left the Irish crumbling on 97-3 at the close. That’s still 255 runs adrift from making England bat again.

Duckett showed he is the perfect opener to give the team an explosive start come the Ashes opener at Edgbaston on June 16.

But it was Pope who stole centre stage with his 205.

Duckett was destructive with his run-a-ball century — his second in Tests — striking 24 fours and one maximum as he and Pope piled up 252 for the second wicket.

Once he was bowled by Graham Hume, having become one of the few batsmen to score a hundred in a single session at Lord’s, Pope took charge.

He also smashed a century in one session – between lunch and tea.

The Surrey star sent the ball sailing into the crowd for a six to bring up the magical 200.

When Ireland finally got into bat again Tongue trapped Peter Moor lbw with his first ball and then had Andrew Balbirnie and Paul Stirling caught behind by Jonny Bairstow.