Live cricket updates: The Ashes - Australia v England, second test day four

Australia's Matthew Wade plays a shot. Photo / AP

All the action from The Ashes cricket test between Australia and England.

Rain ruined day three of the second Ashes Test, limiting us to just two hours of play at Lord's.

Australia started the day at 1/30 and slumped to 4/80 when play was called off as it chases England's first innings total of 258.

Here are the talking points from a bleak day.

UMPIRING IN THE SPOTLIGHT AGAIN

The poor standard of umpiring dominated discussion in the first Test and Aleem Dar came under fire for a shoddy decision in the opening session.

Stuart Broad and his teammates were certain he had Travis Head LBW for seven when he attacked the left-hander from around the wicket but Dar didn't agree, keeping his finger down.

The official appeared to indicate Head had got an inside edge before the ball crashed into his pads but the Poms didn't agree and went upstairs with the DRS.

Snicko and replays confirmed Head didn't get any bat on the ball, and Hawkeye showed the Dukes was crashing into middle stump halfway up.

In other words, Head was absolutely plumb and cricket fans were quick to slam Dar for wanting to spare the South Australian.

Australian women's cricket star Megan Schutt called the decision "crap" on Twitter and plenty of others shared her view.

ENGLAND STICKS WITH NEW SMITH PLAN

England captain Joe Root said in the lead-up to the second Test England wasn't patient enough with its plans for Steve Smith as he punished the home side by scoring 144 and 142 at Edgbaston.

The Poms tried everything to dislodge Smith in the first Test, bowling straight and bowling wide, stacking the leg side field and stacking the off side, and nothing worked.

But there was a noticeable change in tactics at Lord's as the England seamers maintained a disciplined line outside off stump, trying to tempt Smith into a false shot and not bowling to his pads.

Whenever the fast bowlers did drift too straight Smith was able to work them for runs on the leg side but for the most part, the paceman were able to bowl a fifth-stump line and wait for the Aussie star to blink first.

It made for some interesting stats, according to CricViz. Smith left more deliveries of the first 30 he faced than any other innings in his Test career, and only six per cent of balls he faced would have hit the stumps.

Whether the plan pays off in the long run remains to be seen.

TOP ORDER TROUBLES CONTINUE

Australia's top order woes continued as both openers failed again at Lord's.

Cameron Bancroft and David Warner scored just 25 runs between them in the first Test and they couldn't manage a significant contribution in the first innings in London.

Warner was bowled for three late on day two — falling victim to Stuart Broad for the third time this series as he registered his third consecutive single-figure score.

Bancroft battled hard and showed plenty of grit but technically he looked all at sea as his front leg dragged his head across the crease and he struggled to access the ball with his bat.

He was eventually trapped LBW — always a likely mode of dismissal given his dubious footwork — by Jofra Archer for 13 from 66 balls and he now has just 28 runs for the series.

Warner's place in the team is safe because of his brilliant Test record but Bancroft hadn't cemented his spot before his ball tampering ban and he's yet to emphatically convince selectors he's the right man for the job since being given another opportunity to wear the baggy green.

The West Australian took a brilliant catch at short leg but unless he gets some runs soon, he'll be under pressure to stave off competition from the other opener in the squad Marcus Harris.

ARCHER'S MEMORABLE STRIKE

There was a huge amount of hype ahead of Jofra Archer's Test debut and he landed his first major blow in the five-day format when Bancroft became his maiden wicket.

Archer sizzled late on day two, sending down a couple of brilliant deliveries to beat Bancroft's inside and outside edge and he finally got his man on day three.

The fast bowler had been a fraction short in the opening half-hour, getting balls through to the wicketkeeper but not challenging the batsmen to play enough. That changed when he trapped Bancroft LBW for 13 off 66 balls.

Archer was one of the new weapons in England's bowling arsenal — along with spinner Jack Leach — who the hosts hoped would be able to derail Steve Smith after he scored twin centuries in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston.

Archer greeted the former Aussie skipper to the crease with a short ball but didn't get too many opportunities to challenge the 30-year-old because his lengthy spell came to an end not long after Smith arrived in the middle.

Archer finished with figures of 1/18 from 13 overs with six maidens as the World Cup hero looked at home in Test cricket.