Ben Stokes' facial reactions are generally a good reflection of the quality of delivery that's just bowled him. On Friday morning, he'd reacted like a kid who's throwing a tantrum for having dropped his barely eaten ice cream after he was cleaned up by Mitchell Starc for the umpteenth time.

Stokes looked a lot more awe-struck on Saturday evening as he stood totally bamboozled by Lyon's delivery that had knocked his off stump back. In his defence, it really was that special. One of the best Lyon has ever produced in his rich catalogue of great deliveries over his staggering Test career. Drift, drop, grip, guile and turn. It had it all. In spades. Not much Stokes could have done. Not much any left-hander could have done.

From around the wicket, Lyon had got the ball to drift towards Stokes' pads, and land on a length where the England captain couldn't smother it. From there he'd got it to turn past his outside-edge and strike the off bail. There was also the beauty in the subtlety to how the world's best finger spinner had got the ball to hang ominously in the air as compared to his previous deliveries in the over, having released it at 5kph slower.

While Stokes held his pose, cussing away at himself and remonstrating to nobody in particular, Lyon was off on a celebratory run towards the western stands at the Adelaide Oval. Punching the air first before being surrounded by his equally ecstatic teammates. Not too dissimilar to the fashion in which he was 11 years earlier when he spun Australia to an emotional Test win against India at this iconic venue.

And it's an image of Lyon from that famous evening in what was one of Australian cricket's most tragic hour-in the wake of Phil Hughes' passing-that now hangs right behind the Member's Pavilion. As part of the 38-year-old's official induction into the Avenue of Honour at the Adelaide Oval, which took place two days before the start of this Test. So, it had already been a special week for Lyon at what he always refers to as his favourite venue, where he's also taken more Test wickets than anyone else.

It only got better, and even more sensational, as he fired the final few arrows into England's high hopes of Ashes glory on this tour on a dramatic evening late on Day 4. All it took was 20 deliveries as he got rid of a well-set Harry Brook and a century-bound Zak Crawley on either side of the dream dismissal of Stokes.

If the Avenue of Honour ever needed an image of one of Lyon's best wickets, they could simply use this one. The English camp had hoped for some "magic" over the last two days of this Adelaide Test to keep their Ashes hope alive. The magic instead came from Lyon has he more or less ensured that Australia will retain the Ashes by going 3-0 ahead in front of what will be another packed crowd on Sunday at the Adelaide Oval.

If it was Lyon the genius who stole the show to bring the fourth day to a close, it was Pat Cummins the "freak" who rocked the English early as they set about on their improbable run-chase.

"Freak" as his fellow bowling colleague Mitchell Starc called him anyway after the Australian captain had run in for an hour and bowled like he'd never left in the Perth nets last month.

"Doesn't train for three months and he comes and bowls like that? Freak," is what Starc had actually said within earshot of his captain.

And freak is a great way of describing how Cummins has returned to the Test arena after a four-month layoff with a back injury and nonchalantly settled back into being the most destructive fast bowler in the world.

He'd shown glimpses of it in the first innings as he finished with three wickets, but Cummins took it to another level on Saturday.

He might have Ben Duckett to thank for his generosity for his first wicket as the opener happily guided Cummins' second delivery to Marnus Labuschagne at second slip. But it was his spell after the lunch break where he really showed how incredibly difficult it is to survive against his onslaught with ball in hand.

There's the accuracy. There's the singular ability to get the ball to do tricks off even the most benign of surfaces. There's the constant change in grips and angles of delivery. And then there's the kick that he gets off every pitch he bowls on.

As Ollie Pope found out first, as he got snared by a diving Labuschagne low to his left. After the struggling No 3's technique had been shown up over and over again, as he continued to play Russian roulette with his outside edge.

Then came the setup to Joe Root. He'd got the better of the English champion in the first innings, after having teased and tempted the right-hander repeatedly outside off-stump. So much so that Root barely looked like the batter who'd finally brought his century drought to an end on Australian soil only 10 days earlier.

Here on Day 4, he never allowed Root to settle or start getting into the kinds of strong positions the former England captain likes to get into early in his innings. By the time, Cummins brought himself back, Root had actually got going with a lot of his runs coming against Lyon and Cameron Green.

To say that Cummins had Root in his sights would be an understatement as he peppered the good length area on and around Root's channel of uncertainty ball after ball, forcing the class batter into making hard decisions with every delivery. He prodded at a couple on his front-foot, drove the one fuller delivery into the covers and defended one off the back foot. With each one of them, Cummins was dragging Root further away from his off-stump, just like he'd done in the first innings and has done so often in the past.

And just like in the past, Root got sucked into the trap and poked at a delivery that was on a virtual fifth stump with that open face of the bat. Root's immediate reaction was one of great frustration as he punched his bat, yelled at himself once, then again, and again, before tossing his gloves into the tunnel having been consumed by Cummins' unrelenting inquisition with the ball for the 13th time in his career.

The first of two senior statesmen in this English line-up to exit the stage cursing and visibly aghast with themselves on a day where England's Ashes dreams faded to black.