Steve Smith catch divides cricket world amid Ashes 'cheating' backlash

Steve Smith has found himself at the centre of an ugly controversy on day two of the second Ashes Test at Lord's after being accused of "cheating" after taking a stunning catch to remove Joe Root. It was an eventful day for Smith, who became the fastest man to reach 32 Test centuries, joining Steve Waugh on Australia's all-time list with Ricky Ponting the only Aussie with more red-ball tons (41).

England went to stumps on day two at 4-278 in reply to Australia's first-innings 416, with the game back in the balance after the hosts threw away three last-session wickets. One of those Aussie wickets was the prized scalp of England's best batter Root, who fell for Australia's short-ball trap and was caught by Smith for 10, off the bowling of Mitchell Starc.

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In scenes reminiscent of Cameron Green's catch to remove India's Shubman Gill in the World Test Championship final, Smith took a brilliant diving catch at square leg to remove Root. Replays showed it was a clean catch from Smith, whose ball-carrying hands then brushed the grass as he landed, prompting angry backlash from some fans.

Steve Smith catch sparks 'cheating' accusations

Much in the same way Green was accused of cheating against India, so too was Smith subjected to similar backlash from Ashes viewers. Many agreed that it was a fair catch though, with the incident sparking heated debate on social media.

The dismissal of Root was one of three quick-fire wickets for the Aussies in the final session as England squandered a position of dominance that saw them cruising at 1-188. Ollie Pope (42 runs), Ben Duckett (98) and Root (10) were all caught playing the hook shot, to leave the match delicately poised heading into day three.

Nathan Lyon injury rocks Aussies

Australia has a major concern around Nathan Lyon, however, with the veteran spinner unlikely to play any further part in the Test after hobbling off with a calf injury. The 36-year-old pulled up short when charging in to attempt a catch at deep backward square, immediately clutching at his calf afterwards and limping from the field.

The injury is likely to leave Australia without a frontline spinner for the rest of the match, with Smith and Travis Head sharing spin duties. It also leaves Lyon battling to be fit for the third Test that starts at Headingley next Thursday.

The Aussies will be sweating on scans to determine the extent of Lyon's calf injury, with fellow off-spinner Todd Murphy shaping as the obvious replacement if Lyon is ruled out of the third Test. Lyon's injury came after he took the sole wicket in England's innings until that point, outsmarting Zak Crawley on 48 and having him stumped down legside.

The wicket moved him to 496 in his career, and at that point it appeared as if the 500 milestone could come this week. The injury blow was a particularly cruel one for Lyon, who notched another stunning landmark by appearing in his 100th consecutive Test.

with agencies

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