The China Mail - England counter-attack after Smith hundred in second Test

The hosts were 145-1 at tea on the second day, still 271 runs adrift of Australia's first innings 416.

Ben Duckett was 62 not out and Ollie Pope unbeaten on 32 following Zak Crawley's dashing run-a-ball 48.

Smith had flopped with scores of 16 and six during Australia's thrilling two-wicket win in the first Test at Edgbaston last week as the Ashes holders went 1-0 up in the five-match series.

The 34-year-old put all that behind him, however, with a superb innings of 110 -- the 32nd Test century of his brilliant career, his 12th in all Ashes contests and eighth in England.

England, however, recovered well on Thursday by taking Australia's last five wickets for 77 runs.

Veteran pacemen James Anderson and Stuart Broad, the two most successful quicks in Test history, managed just two wickets between them.

Instead, it was their fellow frontline seamers who did the bulk of the damage, with Josh Tongue taking 3-98 on his Ashes debut and Ollie Robinson 3-100.

Crawley launched England's aggressive reply in style, hitting five well-struck fours -- the best a straight drive off fast bowler Josh Hazlewood.

Off-spinner Nathan Lyon succeeded where Australia's pace men had failed.

He left Crawley stranded out of his ground with a ball that turned sharply behind the batsman's legs before Alex Carey completed a sharp stumping to leave England 91-1.

Lyon, in his 100th consecutive Test, was now just four wickets shy of 500 in Tests.

But new batsman Pope, off the field for much of Australia's innings with a shoulder injury, maintained England's typically high tempo.

He hit three successive fours off Mitchell Starc, with the left-arm fast bowler's seven wicketless overs costing an expensive 55 runs after he was recalled in place of Scott Boland.

And left-handed opener Duckett went to fifty when he clipped Starc off his pads for a fifth four in 84 balls faced.

- Sublime Smith -

Australia had resumed well-placed on 339-5, with Smith 85 not out, just 15 runs shy of his second Test century at Lord's following a superb 215 eight years ago.

Australia's position would have been even stronger had Joe Root, the world's number one-ranked Test batsman, not taken two wickets in four balls with his off-spin to remove Travis Head and Cameron Green.

England failed to make the most of helpful conditions for their quicks after captain Ben Stokes won the toss on Wednesday.

And there were more worrying signs when Broad speared his first two balls down the legside, with left-hander Carey glancing both deliveries for comfortable fours.

But Broad, regaining his accuracy, had Carey lbw on review for 22 after rapping the back leg.

Starc got off the mark in style first ball when he clipped Broad past mid-on for four.

But Anderson had Starc well caught by wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow to leave Australia 358-7.

Smith went to 99 with a fortunate nick to third man for four off Anderson, who then almost beat the batsman's defence with an excellent yorker.

Off the very next ball, Smith drove Anderson through the covers to complete a 169-ball century with his 14th four.

Smith fell soon afterwards when a booming drive off Tongue was superbly caught by a diving Duckett in the gully, with Australia captain Pat Cummins 22 not out as the tail fell cheaply.

G.Fung--ThChM