England left frustrated as Australia hold on for draw in Lord’s Test.

Root believes hosts will take momentum into third Test at Headingley

England captain Joe Root believes his side have seized the Ashes momentum after the second Test at Lord’s ended in a draw yesterday.

The hosts ran out of time in their bid to bowl out Australia and level the series but Root insists the performance improved the mood ahead of the third match at Headingley this week.

Root said: “I think it was important that we bounced back strongly and I think we’ve certainly done that.

“We’ve proved that we’re still in this series and we will take that momentum going into the next game.”

Root said he had no regrets about the manner in which his team came up short after their chances were drastically reduced by the earlier rain.

Australia hung on at 154 for six after Ben Stokes’ century had allowed England to declare with a 266-run lead.

“It could have made a big difference but you can’t control the weather,” added Root. “We had to get ourselves to a score where we thought we were in control of the game and we managed to do that.

“Ben (Stokes) played exceptionally well and then we threw everything we could at them, and fair play to Australia, they managed to hold on.”

Australia captain Tim Paine was full of praise for Steve Smith’s concussion replacement Marnus Labuschagne, who came in to score a crucial 59.

“It was really pleasing for us to see him do that. To be able to stand up and play the way he did for such a young player was fantastic,” Paine said.

“We’re here to win the Ashes and I think we were probably a fair way off our best in this match. But part of becoming a good team is finding a way to get draws out of days like today.”

Stokes hit 115 not out, his first century in two years, with the ferocious pace of debutant Jofra Archer and the nagging left-arm spin of Jack Leach piling the pressure on Australia in a tense finale.

The tourists, without key man Smith due to a concussion caused by an Archer bouncer the previous day, were left to negotiate 48 overs as Stokes’ seventh Test ton allowed Root to declare.

Archer once again provided the adrenaline, rattling bodies, rapping helmets and taking three wickets to cap a remarkable first appearance, while Leach proved a brilliant foil with three of his own in the evening session.

Day four ended with all four results possible, but rain delayed the start yesterday by 70 minutes, shaving 10 crucial overs off a contest that had already lost five full sessions. By the time England declared just before 3.30pm they had effectively taken an Australia win off the table.

Archer had David Warner smartly caught by Rory Burns at third slip and then Usman Khawaja edged to Bairstow.

That brought Labuschagne in and it took Archer just two balls to leave the replacement undergoing medical checks of his own, the second rearing up and pounding the grille at an eyewatering 91.6mph.

Labuschagne, cleared to continue, joined Cameron Bancroft to reach tea on 46 for two, leaving England 35 overs to wrap things up.

Leach struck in the first of them, trapping Bancroft lbw.

Labuschagne finally fell in contentious circumstances, given caught when Root scooped a deflection off short-leg’s body at the last possible moment.

Leach struck again with his next ball, Matthew Wade bat-pad for one, before Archer’s latest hostile spell did its work.

After a sequence of bumpers Paine pulled to midwicket, where Joe Denly took a staggering one-handed take.

Leach almost took his fourth, Burns nearly hanging on to Cummins at silly point, but the visitors did enough to see it through under murky skies.

Picture: Getty Images. Wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow looks on as Rory Burns drops Pat Cummins as England pushed for the victory.