Ben Stokes moment sums up England's nightmare day as Australia blitz their way to Ashes Test win

The hosts could have been forgiven for feeling fearful. Though they had started to chase England down with ruthless efficiency, Stokes can be their kryptonite at times.

After all, over the years, he has wounded them on more than one occasion.

England had given themselves a mountain to climb after an insipid, underwhelming second innings as a day that promised so much ultimately delivered so little.

They were bowled out for a meagre 164, with Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland claiming seven wickets between them - while rookie Brendan Doggett secured the other three.

Stokes, who had managed six runs in his first innings, was even worse on Saturday - with the Three Lions skipper managing just two from 11 deliveries before Starc got him out.

As Australia stepped out to bat for a second time, with the contest heading towards a dramatic finale, they sensed blood.

England had remarkably collapsed earlier in the day, giving the Aussies some much-needed momentum. What a difference 24 hours makes.

Travis Head was unplayable from the start. Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson couldn't remove him, while Jake Weatherald managed a respectable 23 runs before his dismisal gave England hope.

But with Head nothing short of sensational as he powered his way to a stunning century, England simply couldn't get him out - no matter what they tried.

Having gone with Archer and Atkinson to lead their attack, the tourists finally introduced Stokes needing the 34-year-old to summon his usual magic in order to get them back into the contest.

This time, however, it wasn't the England star who was able to steal the show.

Having failed to trap an Aussie batsman in his first over, Stokes' second was pure nightmare fuel - one that set the hosts on their way to victory.

Head absolutely smashed him, hitting three fours with blistering brutality to pile on the pressure. Stokes, looking increasingly lost for answers, looked to the heavens in frustration.

From that moment on, it was clear that England didn't have a chance. With the hosts roared on by a raucous home crowd, the Three Lions ended up bowing out with a whimper.

Of course, the defeat isn't solely on Stokes. Questions will be asked, rightly so, after England threw the Test away having looked like favourites just 24 hours previously.

Will Bazball work in Australia? Based on this evidence, no. The Three Lions' aggressive approach backfired. A more cautious approach, perhaps, would have saved them.

Then there's England's batters who underwhelmed as well. Joe Root, who has never scored a century Down Under, managed just eight runs before he was sent packing by Starc.

Zak Crawley was caught and bowled by the same man. Harry Brook, whose impressive 52 helped paper over the cracks on Friday, fell for a duck this time around.

England will need to regroup and analyse what went wrong.

The Three Lions have a mountain as big as Mount Kosciuszko to climb, while the hosts will now fancy their chances of retaining the urn once again.