We appear to have opened a portal to the past in NW8. Suddenly, it’s 2013 all over again. Mitchell Johnson is ferocious, England are in disarray and if this Test lasts five days it will only be because Sunday’s forecast has turned watery. Much like England’s batsmen.

Scoreboard pressure. Yes, yes, we know. It was always going to be a different proposition to bat once Australia had amassed a cricket score that was like, well, a cricket score. Yet even with 566 to chase down — or 367 to avoid the follow on, which would be the first step to earning a draw — there really wasn’t much excuse for this.

Australia bowled well, as expected. Johnson and Mitchell Starc regularly hit the 90 mph mark, which on a dead track made all the difference — Jimmy Anderson did not get beyond 83 mph — and the 481 runs England remain short of Australia’s total looks mountainous.

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England opener Adam Lyth went early after being caught behind off the bowling of Mitchell Starc

The bowlers were always going to be inspired by the thought of getting England on the run early, yet it cannot be ignored that England’s batsmen were weak, weak, weak.

Wafting at ones that could have been ignored, falling to age old flaws — Gary Ballance’s problem with the full ball is as troubling as Shane Watson’s penchant for lbw — and lacking the resilience, inclination and courage to dig in as the match situation demanded.

It is too easy to blame close to 150 overs and two days in the field. That’s the sport. If England can’t handle the long haul maybe they might do well to ask for wickets that act up a bit on this tour, to avoid the draining consequence of a losing toss.

Michael Clarke got lucky with his 50-50 bet, but there was little fortune in the rest of it. It would have been handy had Ian Bell caught Steve Smith on Thursday, seeing as he went on to make 215, but that is what a world-class batsman does with a good break that matters — and Australia’s No 3 has the best hand-eye co-ordination around at the moment.

England batsman Gary Ballance made 23 before he fell to Aussie paceman Mitchell Johnson

That he has been allowed to play himself in, after a disappointing time in Cardiff, is just another bonus from the wicket that keeps on giving.

Bell could be considered to have owed England 165 runs following that error and late yesterday afternoon with the bat he paid back a mighty one of them.

It was four minutes and two balls before he was clean bowled by Josh Hazlewood. It was a decent ball — full, and swinging away — but even so Bell’s shot was poor and it took out his off stump. He is having a dreadful match, so far, at a time when he is under most pressure. He cannot be indulged indefinitely, not when England’s high order is in continuing crisis.

The moment Australia made an imposing score, thoughts instantly turned to England’s frailty under pressure — and some alarming recent scores. A brief look back through 2015 shows this to be the eighth time England have fallen apart early in six Test matches.

Want to recap? First Test versus West Indies, Antigua — 34-3 and 52-3. Third Test versus West Indies, Barbados — 38-3 and 39-5. Second Test versus New Zealand, Headingley — 30-4. First Test versus Australia, Cardiff — 43-3 and 73-3. And now this.

Australia celebrate after Josh Hazelwood dismissed Ian Bell for one in the afternoon on Friday

It was 30-4 at the nadir, Alastair Cook standing at the non-striker’s end glowering at his colleagues through his visor. It was not his greatest innings, either — but he did what the job demanded. He hung about. Rode his luck occasionally, played and missed at the odd one, but dug in as opening batsmen are supposed to. Someone should tell Adam Lyth.

Had England got through to close with the opening pair intact it would have struck a sizable psychological blow.

Michael Clarke, the Australian captain, was already trying to mess with some minds by bringing England out for one over after tea, before declaring — giving the batsman 10 minutes to prepare rather than a more leisurely preparation. What was required, then, was dogged resistance. What England got from Lyth was two balls.

Well, one really, considering the second brought his demise. It was an atrocious shot, a dangled bat, that edged one from Mitchell Starc to rookie wicket-keeper Peter Nevill.

Joe Root could not repeat his heroics from the first Test and was caught by Peter Nevill for one

Root bows his head as Johnson celebrates taking his wicket as England's top order collapsed

He can’t have believed his luck. It was his first touch with the gloves in Test cricket and out went England’s opening batsman.

The scrutiny of Lyth’s place in the team was harsh and instant, yet this is a problem that began well before Friday afternoon.

England had the chance to go with Lyth and give him experience in the Caribbean last winter. Instead there was a failed, revisionist experiment with Jonathan Trott.

So Lyth got a run-out in two Tests against New Zealand this summer, before being thrown directly into cricket’s greatest contest. Is it really any wonder that he was found wanting in such a pressured situation? Then there is the fact that he elects to face. This has to be his decision, because invariably the senior partner — certainly the captain — would take the responsibility of the opening ball of the innings.

When Cook partnered Andrew Strauss he was No 2 — but then Strauss was captain. Since when, he has faced — until Lyth came along. He’s a decent guy, Cook, and if Lyth is particularly insistent that he wants to face, he will go along with that. If it settles him down, what harm can it do?

England captain Alastair Cook kept his side afloat with some solid batting and remained unbeaten on 21

Yet if, under pressure, Lyth is out second ball, perhaps it is time to rethink that arrangement and let Cook assume his rightful senior role. After all, it could barely get worse.

Who knows why Lyth wanted to face when he played the shot of a nervous wreck? Maybe he is superstitious, maybe he just wants to get that delivery over with; either way it didn’t look like plan A.

The loss of an opening batsman after two balls gave Australia the fillip they needed, and heaped more tension on England: stress they ultimately found overwhelming. Australia had a bad Test in Cardiff and ditched Shane Watson. It is too early to debate changes yet, but tweaks, a degree of tinkering is only to be expected if this Test follows its predicted trajectory.

The determined Cook and Ben Stokes had guided the hosts through to 85-4 by close, but one of them — at least — is going to need to be about for a hell of a long time if this Test is to come anywhere near to being saved and England are not to be visited by a blast from the past.

Steve Smith reached 215 before Australia declared at 566 for eight on day two of the second Ashes Test