England two wickets away from winning nerve-racking Ashes ...

Wake up, Australia — you’ve slept through one of the all-time great Ashes contests.

Australia has taken a 1-0 lead in the five-Test series after Nathan Lyon and captain Pat Cummins guided the visitors towards a thrilling two-wicket victory over England at Edgbaston.

Cummins and Lyon combined for an unbeaten 55-run partnership for the ninth wicket as Australia crawled towards the 281-run target with less than five overs left to play in nerve-racking scenes on Tuesday. It was Australia’s highest successful fourth-innings run chase in England since 1948.

Usman Khawaja’s patient half-century set up the chase, but a cluster of wickets early in the evening session put England within touching distance of victory in Birmingham.

But in a dramatic twist, Cummins and Lyon defied the odds to slowly chip away at the deficit, getting the job done under floodlights at 7.21pm local time.

“That’s special, bloody special,” Lyon told Channel 9 after the win.

“A bit lost for words really ... pretty special.

“We had the belief. As a professional athlete, if you don’t believe, you might as well just go home.”

MATCH CENTRE: Australia vs England, first Test, live scoreboard

The morning session was abandoned after heavy rain reduced day five to 74 overs. Australia resumed on Tuesday afternoon at 3-107, but runs were hard to come by for the visitors, with 21 runs scored in the first hour of play.

Nightwatchman Scott Boland valiantly survived the thirty minutes before becoming Stuart Broad’s third victim of the innings, nicking a full inswinger through to wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow for 20.

Australia’s first boundary of the afternoon came after the drinks break, with Travis Head gloving a bouncer down the leg side that evaded a diving Bairstow.

The introduction of spin created the next breakthrough for England, with the wounded Moeen Ali removing Head with his fifth delivery of the day. The left-hander was caught by Joe Root at first slip for 16 after the ball turned sharply and kissed his outside edge.

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Khawaja, who mustered just four runs from his first 40 deliveries of the day, brought up a patient half-century in 143 balls, surviving to tea alongside Cameron Green with 98 runs still required.

Green and Khawaja calmly rotated the strike and picked the gaps — every play and miss evoked groans from the Edgbaston crowd, while well-directed bouncers were met with applause.

Ollie Robinson brought the crowd to life by breaking the 49-run partnership, with Green tentatively fending at a length delivery and chopping back onto his stumps. The young all-rounder punched his bat before trudging back to the sheds for 28.

The loudest cheer of the afternoon came when Ben Stokes handed his cap to the umpire, and the England captain delivered the game-changing moment in just his second over.

Khawaja, deceived by a well-disguised slower ball, prodded outside off stump and chopped on, departing for 65 after his 197-ball marathon. An exhausted Stokes didn’t celebrate, gingerly limping in his follow-through before embracing his teammates.

Joe Root, drying up the runs at one end with his part-time off-spin, was twice denied a wicket in the 75th over – an unsuccessful review for LBW against Alex Carey was followed by a dropped return catch that burst through his fingers.

Stokes declined the second new ball when it became available, with the England skipper wanting one more over from Root — and the decision proved a masterstroke. Carey, Australia’s last recognised batter, charged down the pitch and creamed a straight drive at head height back towards Root, and the catch miraculously stuck in the Yorkshire’s hands, albeit with a juggle.

Nathan Lyon joined Cummins in the middle with 54 runs still required, and only tailender Josh Hazlewood waiting in the sheds.

A pair of powerful straight drives over the long-off from Cummins pushed the deficit below fifty. The following over, Lyon pulled a Broad bouncer towards Stokes at square leg, but the leaping captain couldn’t hold onto the one-handed chance above his head.

It felt like England’s first mistake of the day, and ultimately proved costly.

England finally took the second new ball in the 86th over, and Lyon responded by slapping Broad down the ground for a gorgeous boundary. At the other end, a misfield from Zak Crawley at deep cover pushed the required target below 20 runs.

Stokes spread the field for Cummins, wanting to get Lyon on strike — but the veteran off-spinner’s defence was solid against the seaming Dukes ball.

The deficit went into single fingers after Lyon elegantly flicked Broad over mid-on for another boundary, and suddenly Australia was in the box seat. England panicked, while Cummins and Lyon were calm and composed — but their Australian teammates were literally covering their eyes in the dugout.

The winning runs came when Cummins guided a short delivery towards deep third man, with a misfield gifting Australia an unforgettable triumph.

And to think, there’s another four Tests to come.