'Embarrassing': Ashes fans fume over second Test 'farce'

Ashes fans have been left fuming over another umpiring “howler” during a rain-soaked day three at Lord’s.

Stuart Broad took the wicket of Travis Head on another day thwarted by rain, with Australia stumbling to 4-80 in response to England's 258.

Despite rain washing out the final two sessions, there was still time for an umpiring howler that left Broad and his England side perplexed.

Umpire Aleem Dar initially gave Head not out after Broad's stinging delivery crashed fairly low into his pads.

It prompted an immediate challenge from England, with the hosts vindicated over the decision.

The umpire perhaps thought that Head had gotten an inside edge before the ball clattered into his pads but the replays painted an ugly picture.

Ball tracking showed Broad's delivery smashing right into middle stump, about three-quarters of the way up.

The umpires came under fire after a series of mistakes in the first Test and fans were again up in airs about the quality of the officials.

England say ‘fidgety’ Smith is a distraction

Broad offered a curious take on the umpiring struggles, claiming Steve Smith's unique mannerisms at the crease are a distraction.

"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