The biggest gasps yesterday came shortly before tea when Matt Prior twisted his body and dived high to his left to hold a ball that swung once it passed the stumps as wickedly as a free kick by Roberto Carlos. For athleticism and co-ordination, Prior resembled an India rubber man.

Lord’s presents difficulties for wicketkeepers that appear to be unique and are as yet unexplained. Glovemen mutter darkly in cod-scientific terms about balls catching thermals, drawing comparisons to birds cruising in invisible currents. To those on the outside, it sounds like a nod-and-wink instance of tradesmen sticking together. But something, at this ground, is different.

Andy Flower, the England team director, would have appreciated Prior’s work more than anybody yesterday, having suffered the whims of the winds at Lord’s as the Zimbabwe wicketkeeper. In the England first innings, Brad Haddin conceded 15 byes, although he blamed poor footwork brought on by the occasion rather than anything more complicated.

There were more than a few times when Prior looked untidy. After dropping one ball from Graham Onions, he simulated its flight path with a gesture suggesting that the ball dipped sharply over the final couple of yards. A psychologist would identify this as a self-defence mechanism kicking in, that Prior could not admit to himself that he missed a straight one. Replays, though, confirmed Prior’s point.

The truth is that he sits more secure in the side now than at any time since his hundred on debut against West Indies at Lord’s two years ago. In the World Twenty20 last month, people were even ruing his omission and the inclusion of James Foster at his expense. It has taken longer than he would have liked, but Prior must feel he really has cracked it.

Session by session

First session England 364-6 to 425; Australia 22-2
Andrew Strauss shoulders arms and is bowled, Graeme Swann fences to second slip and Stuart Broad plays on, driving, before James Anderson and Graham Onions put on 47 from 53 balls. Phillip Hughes gloves a leg-side bouncer to Matt Prior and Ricky Ponting is adjudged caught at first slip.
England 4 out of 5 stars
Australia 1/5

Second session Australia 22-2 to 87-2
Simon Katich and Mike Hussey fight back between heavy showers. Play has already been put back by ten minutes because of a visit by the Queen and the pair restart their stand on three occasions. Surprisingly, Strauss does not use Anderson or Andrew Flintoff immediately before tea.
England 1/5
Australia 3/5

Third session Australia 87-2 to 156-8
Broad ends third-wicket stand of 93 with a low catch at long leg when Katich mistimes an attempt to hook, and Hussey falls shouldering arms. Michael Clarke clips to mid-wicket and Marcus North drags a pull on to his stumps. Johnson and Brad Haddin sky catches to Alastair Cook when Broad drops short.
England 5/5
Australia 1/5

Talking point - Strauss makes an error of judgment
After England lost four wickets on the first evening, they needed their captain to stay in and build on his overnight score of 161 if they were to reach what was considered a defendable total. He lasted two balls. Ben Hilfenhaus pitched the ball just outside off stump and Andrew Strauss, perhaps believing it to be an awayswinger, kept his bat raised and watched the ball come back in and strike his off stump. It was poor judgment from someone who knows the pitch as well as Strauss but continues a tradition of the opener struggling to play a really long innings. Nine of his 18 Test hundreds have taken 5½ hours or more, but he has batted past 6½ hours only twice, with a highest score of 177.

Milestones
• England’s 425 was their joint fifth-highest score against Australia at Lord’s and the first of 400-plus since 1975.
• The partnership of 47 between Graham Onions and James Anderson was a record for the last wicket against Australia at Lord’s, beating the 45 made by Graham Dilley and John Emburey in 1989.
• Stuart Broad has faced 999 balls in Tests and made three fifties, one more than his father, Chris, at the same stage.