'Genuinely hilarious' Steve Smith 'antics' send cricket fans wild

Steve Smith is the talk of the cricket world again but this time it's got nothing to do with how well he's hitting the ball.

Quite the contrary, the fervour all centres around what the 30-year-old is doing when he’s not hitting the ball.

Australia's star batsmen looms once more as the thorn in England's side after making it through a rain-affected day three of the second Ashes Test, overshadowed by another umpiring howler.

The tourists resumed at 1-30 on Friday and made a bright start under dark skies and artificial light, only to lose 3-11 in a collapse ignited by debutant Jofra Archer.

Smith dug in during the chaotic session to help Australia reach 4-80 at lunch, when England's lead was 178 runs.

The meal break started midway through what would have been the final over of the morning session because of rain and the covers remained in place for the rest of the day, with Smith unbeaten on 13.

While the former skipper didn’t add many runs to the scoreboard, his quirky mannerisms and one-of-a-kind technique sent the internet into overdrive as fans marvelled at his mastery.

England fast bowler Stuart Broad even went as far as claiming that Smith's unique mannerisms at the crease are a distraction for umpires.

England bowler questions ‘fidgety’ Smith

Broad helped reduce Australia to 4-80 in response to England's 258 in the first session of day three before rain washed out the final two sessions of the second Test at Lord's.

After dismissing David Warner for the third time in the series late on Thursday, Broad accounted for Travis Head who was given not out on by Aleem Dar only for the decision to be reversed by third umpire Joel Wilson with the ball tracker showing it would have clattered into the middle of the stumps.

"I think he is quite fidgety and I think he might have even done Aleem Dar on Head's lbw because he (Smith) threw his arm out as it to say it was going down the leg side," Broad said.

"I think Aleem was going to give it and saw Steve's hand go. He explains every bit of cricket on the field with his movements after it has happened.

"It's the way he stays in his batting bubble and he does it very well."

The 33-year-old has been regular thorn in the side of Australian batsmen in English conditions for the last decade, but failed to dismiss Warner in both the 2015 and 2017/18 Ashes series.

In the first Test at Edgbaston Broad dismissed Warner for two and eight and then produced a peach of a delivery to clatter the opener's stumps for three late on Thursday evening and said he'd worked on new way to bowl at him.

"In the past I've seen Warner as looking to find his edge all the time," Broad said.

"That is a slight change of plan but on the pitches we've played on ... they have both been a lot drier than we expected so you have seen that wobble seam delivery moving off the pitch.

"I've been looking to wobble it on to off stump and it nips up the slope at Lord's and is quite tricky to play.

"There has been a couple of decent balls in there to Warner. He is obviously a huge dangerman to them and it's great to get him out early."

Broad said England can break open the match by taking the last six Australian wickets early on Saturday, despite the forecast predicted to be fine and sunny.

"We're pretty positive. We'd need to bowl Australia out by lunch tomorrow," he said.

"There's 98 overs for the next two days, which for both teams has been enough to bowl each other out.

"There's certainly hope for both sides. There could be quite an interesting, intriguing game left in this Test match although we've lost so much for rain.

"Our bowling unit's aim is to get the next six wickets by lunch and then ideally bat until an hour, half an hour before lunch on day five and try to force a result that way."

With AAP