Cummins, Starc help Australia take control of Test

England 325 (Duckett 98, Brook 50, Starc 3-88, Head 2-17, Hazlewood 2-71) and 114 for 4 (Duckett 50*, Stokes 29*) need another 257 runs to beat Australia 416 (Smith 110, Head 77, Warner 66, Tongue 3-98, Robinson 3-100) and 279 (Khawaja 77, Broad 4-65)

London: England are desperately battling to avoid a 2-0 Ashes deficit after Australia's awesome pace bowlers decimated the home top order late on the fourth day of the second Test at Lord's.

Set a record 371 to win, England were reduced to 45-4 by the brilliance of Australia captain Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc.

Starc removed Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope before Cummins struck twice in an over to dismiss Joe Root and Harry Brook.

Ben Duckett scrapped to 50 and controversially survived late in the day when it was adjudged that Starc had grounded a boundary catch.

With Ben Stokes on 29 not out, England are 114-4, 257 runs adrift of victory.

England's target would have been even larger had in not been for a tireless fightback with the ball.

The hosts essentially bowled 51 consecutive overs of bouncers against which Australia lost their last eight wickets for 92 runs.

Stuart Broad claimed 4-65 and all of Stokes, Josh Tongue and Ollie Robinson bowled marathon spells to dismiss the Australians for 279.

The tourists' inability to bat England entirely out of the game resulted in Nathan Lyon hobbling to the crease at number 11 despite a calf injury that could rule him out of the rest of the series.

Barely able to walk - he was required to frantically hop one single - Lyon added 15 for the 10th wicket with Starc, enough runs to push England's target past the 359 they famously overhauled at Headingley four years ago.

Stokes, the architect of that chase, now needs to do the same again to effectively keep the series alive. England have never come from 2-0 down against Australia and gone on to lift the Ashes.