Ashes 2019, England vs Australia: Battling against history, Lord’s numbers paint bleak picture for Joe Root and team

When the sides take the ground for the 2nd Test and the captains flip the coin, Australia will be the more confident unit.

After dominating England in the first Test of the ongoing Ashes, the action now shifts to Lord’s. Ahead of the match, Jos Buttler asked his side not to panic and to stick to their game plan. “We’re one-nil down, but there’s four matches to go in the series,” said Buttler, speaking at a Kookaburra event at Lord’s. “Test cricket is hard - you’re playing against the best players in the world.

However, when the sides take the ground and the captains flip the coin, Australia will be the more confident unit and not only because of their amazing win in Edgbaston. If we take a look at past history and the numbers on offer, the hosts will not be too enthused with their record at Lord’s.

It is, perhaps, the unluckiest venue for England in home conditions - they have won just 55 matches and have dropped 32 matches out of the 136 Tests played at the venue. Not only this, out of all the visiting sides, Australia have the highest win per cent at this venue.

If we take a look at the recent history, it is not very encouraging either - England have lost 3 out of their last 5 encounters against Australia at Lord’s.

The one stat which will give Joe Root’s side some solace is this: England have won 4 out of 5 of their last Tests at Lord’s. They have won their matches against Ireland, India, West Indies and South Africa.