Ashes 2015: Mitchell Johnson wickets put Australia in command as England struggle

Australia took complete control of the second Ashes Test after an authoritative display with bat and ball left England in disarray and staring down the barrel of a heavy defeat after day two at Lord's.

Having declared on 566 for 8, with Steven Smith (215) making his highest Test score, the tourists reduced England to 30 for 4 with an inspired spell of fast bowling as they honed in on levelling the series.

Adam Lyth (0), Gary Ballance (23), Ian Bell (1) and Joe Root (1) were dismissed with Mitchell Johnson the chief tormentor as he rediscovered his best form with two wickets, while there was one each for fellow-seamers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

Ben Stokes played an entertaining innings to end the day 38 not out alongside captain Alastair Cook (21) but with England closing on 85 for 4 and trailing by 481, 281 runs adrift of the follow-on target, they face an uphill task to prevent a swift Australian victory.

The greatest concern for Cook's men will be how Australia, ranked number two in the Test rankings, in the form of Johnson rediscovered their mojo and for the first time in the series replicated the performances which saw them regain the Ashes with a 5-0 whitewash in 2013-14.

Having dominated the first day with the bat, Australia were looking to plunder further runs in order to build further scoreboard pressure on England.

But after less than six overs the hosts had a crucial breakthrough as Stuart Broad bowled Chris Rogers (173) to end a record second wicket stand for Australia at Lord's of 284 with Smith.

Smith however went on his merry way and reached 150 with a more aggressive approach, though the fortunes of his new partner and skipper Michael Clarke (7) differed as he hooked Mark Wood to Ballance at square leg.

Australia were finding runs difficult to come by on a pitch which displayed greater pace than on day one, but Adam Voges was able to play freely before the lunch break.

The 35-year-old added just one run before being dismissed in the second over after lunch as he edged Broad to Jos Buttler for 25.

Mitchell Marsh's Ashes debut lasted 12 runs before he chopped onto his own stumps as Broad took his third wicket but by this stage Australia were honing in on 500 as their scoring rate accelerated.

The rock of their innings, Smith - who had been demoted to second in the Test batting rankings after the match in Cardiff - continued to dominate England and became the first Aussie double centurion at Lord's in 77 years when he went to his highest Test score with a clip through mid-wicket.

As Australia attempted to press on they lost a flurry of wickets, first as Smith was trapped lbw by Root, before the England part-timer ended debutant Peter Nevill's 45-run cameo as Moeen Ali took a fine catch.

Johnson (15) and Starc (12 not out) came out for a single over after tea during which the former holed out off Broad, a dismissal which sparked a declaration from Australia on 566 for 8.

Any hopes England had of negotiating the remainder of the tea session without alarm were blown away in the space of an hour as Australia took a spate of wickets in a blur to take a firm grip of the Test match.

Lyth went from just the second ball of the innings without scoring as a wafted drive off Starc soared into the hands of Nevill - who claimed the fastest maiden dismissal in Test history on debut.

England then lost three wickets in the space of 13 devastating balls as Johnson first exposed Ballance's woeful front-foot technique with a full-pitch delivery which crashed into off-stump.

Bell soon followed in what could be his penultimate Test innings as Hazlewood castled the Warwickshire right-hander before Johnson struck again in the next over after Root edged behind to leave England 30 for 4 and in turmoil.

Stokes launched a typically thrilling counter-attack in repost and twice slapped Nathan Lyon over long-off in the 22nd over, the second of which found the top tier of the Edrich Stand, but the unbeaten 55-run partnership with Cook was a rare positive on a day where the momentum of the series swung the way of Australia.