London: On Day 3 of the second Ashes Test at Lord's, Australia controlled the action, and England received harsh criticism from both cricket fans and ex-players. The third day's first session saw the hosts suffer a dismal batting collapse; after starting the innings at 278/4, England lost six wickets in the span of just 47 runs, frustrating several of the team's greatest players, including Geoffrey Boycott and Michael Vaughan.

When rain forced early stumps in the second innings, Australia got off to a strong start and finished the day at 130/2. With a 221-run lead so far, the visitors will try to put England on the back foot on Day 4. Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has given Pat Cummins and company advice on how to prevent the hosts from pulling off an unexpected triumph.

In response to England's "Bazball" strategy, Ponting said that many of the team's cricketers have acknowledged that they play to win. If he were in the Australian team's locker room, he would set the "most ridiculous" target for the visitors.

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“Everything we hear from England is that they are not going to be happy with a draw. They're going to do everything to try and win the game. Well, If I'm Australia, I'm batting as long as I can and setting the most ridiculous total. They actually said they will try to win. I will make it as unachievable as possible, let them go as hard as they can,” Ponting said.

The majority of England's players handed away their wickets cheaply in the first innings of the Lord's Test, casting serious doubt on the aggressive strategy they were taking. Harry Brook was caught trying an aggressive shot when batting on 50 at one point, and England great Boycott couldn't help but cover his face with his hand.

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Australia now appears to be in a great position to double its lead at Lord's in the five-match series, which it currently leads 1-0. Under the leadership of Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, England has not yet suffered a series loss.

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