But the standout of the day was again Starc, who is submitting an Ashes series for the ages after he top-scored with 77 off 141 balls to help Australia secure a sizable 177-run first innings lead. It meant England's second innings started late in the second session amid the dipping sun as the floodlights took over.

Starc did look gassed after his batting effort as Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett finally managed to survive the opening over for the first time in the series.

Duckett was lucky on 6 after rifling back to Neser who couldn't take a sharp return catch although he would soon get more opportunities. In what was England's best passage of a tortuous day, Duckett and Crawley batted well and eased to 45 for 0 after just six overs.

There was some concern over Starc who grabbed at his lower left side and he needed some painkillers. However, Australia's dominance resumed in the final session with Boland rattling the stumps of Duckett with a delivery that was short of a length but didn't get above shin height.

Ollie Pope briefly defied Boland, who had his tail up, but did not look convincing as he edged nervously on several occasions. He did manage to get to 26 only to fall in tame fashion when he was caught and bowled by Neser after miscuing a drive. It was the third time in the series that Pope failed to kick on from a start with the pressure on his spot set to intensify once more. England's increasingly slim hopes rested on Root, fresh off his first ton on Australian soil in the first innings.

But he watched in horror as Crawley on 44 attempted to drive on the up only to miscue and chip back to a giddy Neser, who couldn't believe his good fortune. All the pressure fell on Root but he could not back up his first day heroics after he fell caught behind on review having chopped down on a full and wide Starc delivery.

Boland was almost unplayable and thought he had Harry Brook caught behind on 15, only for replays to show that he missed the ball by a mile. But on the next ball he had Brook nicking off in a decision that was overturned on review.

Pushing through the pain barrier, the indefatigable Starc summoned a remarkable late spell that accounted for Jamie Smith as the match appears headed for an early finish on day four.

Starc had earlier played a major role in Australia's supreme and complete effort with the bat, marked by six half-century partnerships and five individual fifties. It didn't even matter that no one kicked on for a big score. For just the 12th time in Test cricket, every batter made it into double figures but no centuries were struck.

Australia batted with controlled aggression - apart from a bizarre passage of play late on day two - much to the envy of England as they finished with a run rate of 4.34.

Starc had the right template, leaving the ball well but swinging freely when the bowling missed its length which was quite often in a ragged England effort.

Seamer Brydon Carse encapsulated their wildly inconsistent performance by taking four wickets, including Steven Smith and Cameron Green in the space of three extraordinary deliveries on day two, but he leaked 152 runs from 29 overs.

England had started the day desperately needing a strong start after a slew of dropped chances proved costly under lights on day two. Australia resumed on 378 for 6 with the aim of not only scoring runs but stretching their innings through the daytime when batting has been at its best.

Alex Carey quickly became the latest Australian to notch a half-century, crisply off 55 balls, before Stokes nicked off Neser with a perfect length delivery.

Starc came out aggressively to dish up more pain to Carse, whose tame attempts at a short-ball barrage proved once again ineffective. The second new ball did seem to produce more inconsistent bounce off the surface, offering hope for England to wrap up the innings. They appeared to be closing in when the luckless Gus Atkinson finally took his first Ashes wicket after nicking off Carey for 63, ending 41 overs of toil without reward in the series.

But England were made to endure the heat for a few more hours as Starc and Boland combined for the longest partnership of the series in terms of balls faced. Starc cleverly farmed the strike as their plan to keep batting until the sun set worked to perfection.

England appeared on the brink of imploding with a flustered Stokes furious with Jofra Archer after some lackadaisical fielding allowed Boland to get off strike. A lionhearted Stokes tried to will his team by pushing his body through a long spell but to no avail as he finally turned to spinning allrounder Will Jacks who only bowled one over on day two in his return to the side.

Jacks opened the second session with a delivery that fizzed and bounced past Starc's bat, no doubt catching the eye of Lyon in the terraces. But a few deliveries later Starc smoked a boundary to notch his 12th Test half-century. In the process he became the first Australian to score a fifty and take a five-wicket haul in an Ashes match since Mitchell Johnson during his wondrous 2013-14 series.

Starc moved past Stuart Broad for most career Test runs batting at No.9 as he inched closer to a maiden century having once made 99 in India. But after more than two hours in the middle, Starc started to feel the pinch as he called for medical assistance with his right elbow feeling sore. He didn't last much longer after holing out to mid-off but England's agony was prolonged by No.11 Brendan Doggett and Boland, who finished 21 not out in a career high Test score.

Jacks finally ended Doggett's resistance to claim the first wicket through spin in the series.