Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
DUCKETT LOAD OF RUNS
Ben and Pope pile on the agony for Irish
BEN DUCKETT and Ollie Pope led a record-breaking demolition of the suffering Ireland bowlers as England went run-crazy at Lord’s.
And new boy Josh Tongue (below) produced a sparkling late bowling display to take his first three Test wickets and leave Ireland stumbling towards a rapid defeat.
Duckett smashed the quickest 150 seen at
Lord’s on his way to
182. He took just 150 balls, beating the previous best by Sir Don Bradman in the 1930 Ashes.
Pope also had a day to remember with a stunning double century. England will be expecting to finish off Ireland’s batting today after Worcestershire seamer Tongue weighed in with 3-27 on day two.
Joe Root also passed 11,000 Test runs on his return to the long game after his frustrating first IPL spell – hitting a half century. England declared on 524-4 before Tongue stepped up to leave the Irish crumbling on 97-3. That’s still 255 runs adrift of making England bat again.
Captain Ben Stokes could take a back seat and enjoyed watching his batsmen step up to the plate. Duckett showed he is the perfect opener to give the team an explosive start in the opening Ashes clash at Edgbaston.
But it was Pope who stole the limelight with his 205, which proved again he is the ideal man to walk out at No.3 against Pat Cummings and Co. This mismatch is hardly the ideal way for England to prepare for what will be an Ashes campaign on a totally different level.
But Duckett was positive and destructive in his run-a-ball innings – his second Test ton - striking 24 boundaries and one maximum as he and Pope piled up 252 runs for the second wicket.
Once he fell – bowled by Graham Hume, having become one of the few batsmen to score a hundred runs in a single session at Lord’s – Pope took charge. The vice-captain showed just why England trust him at No.3 and are grooming him as Stokes’ eventual successor.
He also smashed a century of runs in one session – between lunch and tea. He ran a quick single to reach three figures, but sent the ball sailing into the crowd for a six to bring up a magical 200, raising his bat and helmet to the applauding crowd.
Root was quickly back in the Test groove following his frustrating IPL stay. England’s second-greatest Test run scorer – behind Alistair Cook on 12,472 – perished to the first ball after tea, bowled by spinner Andy Mcbrine.
But the 32-year-old Yorkshireman had shown enough to suggest he is gearing up for another Ashes crusade.
Pope was stumped off Mcbrine going for another big hit before Stokes decided Ireland’s bowlers had suffered enough and declared.
Tongue missed out in the first innings, but was clearly in the mood not to a second time. The strapping seamer trapped Peter Moor lbw with his first ball of Ireland’s second innings. He then had Andy Balbirnie and Paul Stirling caught behind by Jonny Bairstow.
Ireland’s woes deepened as opener James Mccollum may be unable to bat again after twisting his ankle facing a Tongue delivery.
Harry Tector (33) and Lorcan Tucker (21) frustrated England’s bid for more wickets on the day.