The Ashes: Australian hopes left in ruins by calm Joe Root assault

A Test match between England and Australia at Lord's is the cricket fixture of all cricket fixtures, as it has been for well over a hundred years. This has not been the Test of all Tests, however, because England have been so vastly superior to their opponents.

Never since the 1880s have England been so far ahead of Australia in batting as they are now, thanks mainly to Ian Bell and Joe Root, who trashed Australia's bowling as it has never been trashed before at Lord's.

This is the 35th Test match between England and Australia here and only in 1930 have England scored more than 350 in both of their innings, as they will do if they bat on briefly this morning before Alastair Cook's declaration.

Back then their totals were nowhere near sufficient, because Don Bradman racked up 254 off his own brilliant bat. By accelerating after tea and adding 302 runs yesterday (Saturday) to their overnight 31 for three, England doomed Australia to a second defeat and, in effect, retained the Ashes.

Neither country has come from behind to win three Tests in a row in England, and the only case in Australia came when Tests were timeless. This Lord's pitch is far too dry and worn to permit any other outcome than an England victory.

At the outset it was 'a day three pitch', and yesterday even Australia's two apprentice spinners made some balls kick and spit out of the rough: Root might add to his enjoyment today as Graeme Swann's fellow offspinner, even if does not convert his overnight score into a double-century.

Extending an already large lead in the third innings can often be dull fare but Root saved yesterday from being an example, even if England added only 140 in the first two sessions.

The Yorkshire batsman had to prove his credentials as an opener worthy to be Cook's partner, and he did so utterly conclusively by seeing off the final fling by Australia's pace bowlers before pummelling their spinners.

Root is 22, only one year older than Bradman when he played what he later called the innings of his life here, and he sealed his place for years to come with his 178 off 334 balls.

Except perhaps for the next Test, if Kevin Pietersen's calf strain proves serious: for such is Root's versatility that he could easily slot in as Pietersen's replacement at No 4 and allow Nick Compton to return as opening bat.

Root blunted Australia throughout the morning in company with Tim Bresnan, who was more than a nightwatchman in contributing to a 99-run partnership.

With Bell for the fifth wicket Root then added 153 at ever-increasing speed, reducing Michael Clarke to such helplessness that he never bothered to take the second new ball or to flog the knackered horses that his seamers have become through the inadequacies of his batsmen, who never give their team-mates a rest.

Root's shot-selection was disciplined when it had to be, the only question being whether he was too inclined to play back to full-length balls: but this trait is more likely to get him into trouble when the ball is swinging into him, not away as it did yesterday.

By the end his shot-selection was unrestrained, and in one over he carted Steve Smith to leg for the second and third sixes of his nascent career. Bell's innings was notable as much for a poor umpiring decision as for its 74 runs.

The decision came when, having scored only three, Bell steered a catch off Ryan Harris very low to gully where Steve Smith dived low to his right and - to most experienced eyes - got his fingers under the ball, before raising his right finger in Bell's direction.

The umpire at the bowler's end, Marais Erasmus, could have given Bell out and left him to ask for a review if he truly felt aggrieved. Instead, the on-field umpires consulted with their colleague Tony Hill, who interpreted the television pictures as a not-out.

Hill, 62, does not have any significant playing experience to call on. The question for Australia in the rest of this series is which timbers are sound enough to be used to build their future. Usman Khawaja does not look to be one of them.

Like Graeme Hick or Mark Ramprakash, he is in and out of the side, up and down the order, and given every chance to fail. So much Australian time and faith have been invested in Phil Hughes that he may be given the whole of this series to justify them.

David Warner, however, will surely replace Khawaja for the third Test in Manchester, whatever he does in southern Africa during his rehabilitation.

James Pattinson improved markedly in the course of England's second innings and bowled 18 overs for only 24 runs before he was switched to the pavilion end - a costly experiment. But he had performed like a Test-class seam-and-swing bowler until then.

By his expensive first-innings bowling, he also illustrated why the Australians have been so unsuccessful at Lord's since 2005, and so successful before then. Now they are given no trial run with the slope before the Test, but in former years they would be given a practice game against Middlesex or MCC; and perhaps at Canterbury too, the closest simulation to the Lord's slope.

Ashton Agar initially did the job of holding the line for Australia, giving Clarke some control by bowling his first 13 overs for 25 runs. True, Agar had to bowl increasingly over the wicket and into the rough to be so economical, but at least he allowed the footsore seamers some respite.

When Root and Bell accelerated, however, his youthfulness was exposed and he was driven through the covers. Steadiness and over-spin are not enough. He will have to make significant runs in Australia's second innings to retain his place ahead of the offspinner Nathan Lyon, who at least takes his share of wickets.

Australia's wheels have not come off, yet, but England's work this winter will be so much easier if they do. The last time they fell off on a tour of England was in 1985, when again Australia had only one top-class batsman, Allan Border.

Cunningly, England's senior players then detached Border from the rest of his team by making him an honorary Englishman: come along and play golf with us, AB, you're one of us, forget those losers.

Clarke has shown individualistic tendencies, before he was captain, and Australia will go into freefall if he should become detached.