The Second Test of the 1948 Ashes series was one of five Tests in The Ashes cricket series between Australia and England. The match was played at Lord's in London from 24 to 29 June, with a rest day on 27 June 1948. Australia won the match by 409 runs to take a 2–0 lead, meaning that England would need to win the remaining three matches to regain The Ashes.

Australian captain Don Bradman won the toss and chose to bat. The tourists had won the First Test convincingly, and decided to field the same team, while England made three changes, mainly to adopt a more attacking bowling strategy. Australia started strongly, led by opener Arthur Morris, who scored 105 and took the score to 166/2 mid-way through the first day.This notation, in discussing a batting side, means that they have scored 166 runs while losing two wickets in doing so. The later batsmen struggled after his departure and fell to 258/7 by the end of the first day, handing the home team the advantage. A lower-order counterattack on the second morning saw Australia reach 350, wicket-keeper Don Tallon scoring 53. For England, the seamer Alec Bedser was the most successful bowler, taking 4/100. Australian paceman Ray Lindwall then cut through the English top-order, reducing them to 46/4. After a recovery an 87-run partnership between Denis Compton—who top-scored with 53—and captain Norman Yardley, both fell within one run of each other and England looked set to be dismissed short of the follow on mark when they were at 145/7. However, the lower order resisted stoutly and they ended at 215 early on the third morning; Lindwall took 5/70. Australia then set about extending their first innings lead, and opener Sid Barnes led the way, scoring 141. He put on an opening partnership of 122 with Morris (62), and added 174 with Bradman (89). Australia closed the third day at 343/4 after a productive day of batting, giving them a lead of 478 despite losing three quick wickets late in the afternoon.

After the rest day, Australia reached 460/7—Keith Miller making 74—before Bradman declared, setting England a target of 596 midway through the afternoon. The hosts reached 106/3 at stumps on the fourth day, but collapsed on the final morning to be all out for 186, handing Australia a 409-run victory. Cyril Washbrook and Tom Dollery top-scored for England with 37 apiece. Ernie Toshack had the best figures with 5/40 while Lindwall took 3/61. Commentators credited Lindwall with orchestrating the England collapse; at the start of the innings he bowled at leading English batsmen Len Hutton at great pace before dismissing him. Hutton had appeared unsettled by Lindwall and played meekly. He was criticised for his timid manner and was controversially dropped for the following match as the selectors thought he was providing a poor example to the junior members of the team. The Australians were pleased with this decision, as they regarded Hutton as their most formidable opponent. The match set a new record for the highest attendance at a Test in England.

Background

Australia had proceeded through the first two months of the tour of England without defeat. After winning 10 of the first twelve matches before the Tests started, eight of these by an innings—the other two were drawn—they won the First Test by eight wickets. Between the Tests, they defeated Northamptonshire by an innings before drawing against Yorkshire.

According to former English paceman Bill Bowes, England had approached the First Test with the intention of achieving a draw against a team they regarded as their superior, reflected in their selections and use of defensive tactics. Bowes himself believed the tactics to be correct and almost successful. However, he suspected that Walter Robins, one of the selectors, considered the English strategy to be misguided and that they should attack the Australians. This was reflected in the English selections.Bowes, pp. 188–189. The home team made three changes; the leg spinner Doug Wright, who was forced to withdraw from the First Test at late notice due to lumbago, had regained his fitness and replaced the left arm orthodox spin of Young, who had taken match figures of 1/107 in the First Test—Australian wicket-keeper Don Tallon was his only wicket.Fingleton, p. 82. However, he had managed to keep the batsmen quiet with his defensive leg theory, bowling 60 overs for 79 runs; Wright was a much more attacking and therefore expensive bowler.Bowes, p. 189. Jim Laker, who had been called into the First Test team due to Wright's lumbago, was initially the third spinner in the pecking order, but he took 4/138, including three specialist batsmen, and was retained.

Alec Coxon took match figures of 4/113 for Yorkshire against Australia, taking four middle-order wickets, and scored 21 and 16 not out in the middle-order. He came into the team as an all-rounder, even though his performances during the rest of the English season had been mediocre; he had a batting average of 20.25 for the summer and took only ten wickets in seven matches prior to the county fixture against Australia. Bowes saw him as an attacking bowler compatible with Robins's strategic thinking.

Tom Dollery was called into the team after a run of heavy scoring for Warwickshire on difficult pitches at Edgbaston. He had made two centuries and seven fifties in 12 first-class matches for the season. Batsman Charlie Barnett was dropped after scoring only eight and six in the First Test. Joe Hardstaff junior was also left out; he had scored a duck and 43 in the First Test, and had a toe infection, so the selectors were spared the predicament of deciding whether to drop him on performance grounds.Fingleton, p. 107. With Wright in for Young, and Coxon selected in place of a specialist batsman, England had a more attacking bowling line-up, something the retired Australian Test leg spinner Bill O'Reilly praised. He also thought the selection of Coxon was beneficial, as his swing bowling would ease the workload of batsman Bill Edrich, who had opened the bowling in the previous Test. O'Reilly regarded Edrich as a mediocre bowler and thought the extra burden with the ball was detracting from his main duty, batting.O'Reilly, pp. 58–59.

Australia retained the same XI from the First Test at Trent Bridge. Ian Johnson was retained despite taking match figures of 1/85, as was Bill Brown, the opener who was batting out of position in the middle-order. Brown had scored 25, 26 and 17 in his three innings in the middle-order during the tour. O'Reilly criticised the selection of Brown, who had appeared to be noticeably uncomfortable in the unfamiliar role. He said that despite Brown's unbeaten double century in his previous Test at Lord's in 1938, Sam Loxton and Neil Harvey had better claims to selection. Following his groin injury at Trent Bridge, Lindwall was subjected to a thorough fitness test on the first morning. Bradman was not convinced of Lindwall's fitness, but the bowler's protestations were sufficient to convince his captain to gamble on his inclusion. Australia won the toss and elected to bat, allowing Lindwall further time to recover from his injury.Perry (2001), p. 233. Before the toss, Bradman had spent an unusually long time inspecting the wicket, and after correctly predicting the side of the coin, he looked at the surface for another period before announcing Australia's decision to bat.O'Reilly, p. 59. The all-rounder Keith Miller played, but was unfit to bowl.Perry (2005), p. 239.

Scorecard Umpires  D. Davies C. N. Woolley Toss elected to bat first Result won by 409 runs Series impact lead 5-match series 2–0

Australia innings First innings Second innings Batsman Method of dismissal Runs Method of dismissal Runs S. G. Barnes c Hutton b Coxon 0 c Washbrook b Yardley 141 A. R. Morris c Hutton b Coxon 105 b Wright 62 * D. G. Bradman c Hutton b Bedser 38 c Edrich b Bedser 89 A. L. Hassett b Yardley 47 b Yardley 0 K. R. Miller lbw b Bedser 4 c Bedser b Laker 74 W. A. Brown lbw b Yardley 24 c Evans b Coxon 32 I. W. G. Johnson c Evans b Edrich 4 not out 9 + D. Tallon c Yardley b Bedser 53 R. R. Lindwall b Bedser 15 st Evans b Laker 25 W. A. Johnston st Evans b Wright 29 E. R. H. Toshack not out 20 Extras 11 28 Total (129.3 overs) 350 (130.2 overs) 460/7 declared First innings Second innings Bowler Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Overs Maidens Runs Wickets A. V. Bedser 43 14 100 4 34 6 112 1 A. Coxon 35 10 90 2 28 3 82 1 W. J. Edrich 8 0 43 1 2 0 11 0 D. V. P. Wright 21.3 8 54 1 19 4 69 1 J. C. Laker 7 3 17 0 31.2 6 111 2 N. W. D. Yardley 15 4 35 2 13 4 36 2 D. C. S. Compton – – – – 3 0 11 0

England innings First innings Second innings Batsman Method of dismissal Runs Method of dismissal Runs L. Hutton b Johnson 20 c Johnson b Lindwall 13 C. Washbrook c Tallon b Lindwall 8 c Tallon b Toshack 37 W. J. Edrich b Lindwall 5 c Johnson b Toshack 2 D. C. S. Compton c Miller b Johnston 53 c Miller b Johnston 29 H. E. Dollery b Lindwall 0 b Lindwall 37 * N. W. D. Yardley b Lindwall 44 b Toshack 11 A. Coxon c & b Johnson 19 lbw b Toshack 0 + T. G. Evans c Miller b Johnston 9 not out 24 J. C. Laker c Tallon b Johnson 28 b Lindwall 0 A. V. Bedser b Lindwall 9 c Hassett b Johnston 9 D. V. P. Wright not out 13 c Lindwall b Toshack 4 Extras 7 20 Total (102.4 overs) 215 (78.1 overs) 186 First innings Second innings Bowler Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Overs Maidens Runs Wickets R. R. Lindwall 27.4 7 70 5 23 9 61 3 W. A. Johnston 22 4 43 2 33 15 62 2 I. W. G. Johnson 35 13 72 3 2 1 3 0 E. R. H. Toshack 18 11 23 0 20.1 6 40 5

24 June: Day One

At 8:00 on the morning of the Test, there was a storm to the south of London but the rain did not reach Lord's, which was located in the north of the English capital. The first over bowled by Bedser to Barnes was watchfully played to complete a maiden. The debutant Coxon opened the bowling with Bedser and he removed Barnes for a duck in his second over, caught by Hutton at short fine leg from a short delivery to leave Australia 3/1.Fingleton, p. 108. Barnes tried to knock the ball through square leg but misjudged the pace of the wicket and played his shot too early, mishitting the ball to Hutton.O'Reilly, p. 60. Coxon bowled from very close to the wickets and left substantial footmarks just outside the right-hander's leg stump in an area ideal for a leg spinner. Although he was not of particularly fast pace, Coxon ran in vigorously and landed heavily after a pronounced delivery stride, making a significant impact on the surface.Arlott, p. 56. Bradman received a loud, positive reception from the crowd as he came out to bat in his final Test at Lord's.

Bradman initially struggled against the English bowling. He faced his first ball from Coxon and inside edged it past his leg stump, before missing the third ball from Coxon and surviving a loud appeal for leg before wicket (lbw). Bowling from the other end, Bedser beat Bradman with seam movement off the pitch and one ball narrowly skimmed past the stumps. Standing up to the stumps, wicket-keeper Godfrey Evans removed the bails as Bradman leaned forward, but his foot had stayed firmly behind the crease. In another close call, Bradman inside edged a ball towards Yardley at short leg, but the English captain was slow to react and the ball landed in front of him. The Australian captain managed only three runs in the first 20 minutes and Australia had scored only 14 after the first 30 minutes. Coxon consistently moved the ball into a cautious Bradman, and the Australians scored only 32 runs in the first hour.