The 35-year-old Anderson and Woakes (4-36) exploited the extra swing and seam with the pink ball, starting with two wickets each under the lights on Monday night, and continuing in the same fashion on day four to ensure no Australian batsman surpassed 20 in the second innings.

That left England needing to beat their record for a successful fourth-innings run chase – 332-7 in Melbourne in 1928 – to win the second test after losing the opener in Brisbane last week by 10 wickets.

England lost two wickets in the evening session, which started with a lucky reprieve after Cook was given not out to an lbw appeal when Josh Hazlewood hit him on the pads directly in front of the stumps.

The Australians decided not to review the decision, and ball tracking technology showed they should have.

Cook went on to make a scratchy 16 from 66 balls before off-spinner Nathan Lyon again trapped him lbw but did not get the umpire’s decision.

The Australians reviewed it this time and the television umpire overturned the decision, making England 53-1.

Stoneman, who had confidently stroked Mitchell Starc for three consecutive boundaries to get off the mark, was out with the addition of one to the total when he sliced the same bowler to Usman Khawaja at gully.

The loss of two more wickets – Vince and Malan – in the final session leaves the test finely balanced going into its final day.