Mike Hussey celebrates after hitting the winning runs on the final evening © Getty Images

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Australia pulled off a remarkable victory over England in the second Ashes Test after a thrilling final day’s play in Adelaide.

A draw seemed by far the likeliest result when England resumed in the morning on 59 for one - holding a lead of 97 - but they were bowled out for 129 before the hosts chased down a total of 168 with 19 balls to spare.

Victory came by the margin of six wickets, Mike Hussey steering Australia home courtesy of a composed unbeaten 61 to open up a 2-0 lead in the five-Test series.

Not since 1936-37 - when Australia triumphed on home soil - has a side come back from such a deficit to win the series, while no team has lost a Test with as big a first-innings-declared total as England’s 551 for six.

If Hussey received the adulation of the crowd and his team-mates as he hit the winning run through cover, many of the plaudits will go to Shane Warne; he took 4-49 as England lost their last nine wickets for 60 runs.

The legendary leg-spinner, who returned figures of 1-167 in the first innigs, bowled unchanged from the Cathedral End all day, conceding just 29 runs from 27 overs in an Australia bowling display of the highest calibre.

It took him until the 11th over of the day until he made the breakthrough but the sustained pressure he and the remainder of the attack exerted prompted a shocking collapse.

Andrew Strauss spent much of the morning padding away Warne, only to perish as he came down the wicket and offered a simple catch to Hussey short leg, although there was considerable doubt over whether the ball hit his bat as well as pad.

Warne does the bulk of the damage with four wickets on the last day © Getty Images

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Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell’s partnership did not last long. The Durham all-rounder called for a quick single, but Bell was guilty of ball-watching as Michael Clarke transferred the ball to Warne, who completed the run-out at the non-striker’s end.

Kevin Pietersen was the next to come and go, bowled round his legs attempting to sweep Warne - much to the Australian’s delight - as England faltered, and Andrew Flintoff was undone by an outswinger from Brett Lee half an hour later to give Adam Gilchrist his second catch of the innings.

Collingwood hit the first boundary of the morning when, after facing 33 balls without scoring, he finally got Warne away moments before the end of a first session which yielded just 30 runs in 28 overs.

Geraint Jones did not last long, caught by Matthew Hayden at fifth slip as he chased a wide delivery from Lee, and Ashley Giles was undone by a big-turning leg-break which he edged to slip.

Matthew Hoggard provided slight resistance but was the victim of a rare Warne googly which spun between bat and pad, via an inside edge, to hit middle stump.

Brett Lee removes Geraint Jones as the pressure mounts on England © Getty Images

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Collingwood, whose unbeaten 22 spanned 119 balls and three hours, stalled Australia as best he could alongside Steve Harmison, but Glenn McGrath - brought on to bowl in the 44th over of the day - followed up five successive outswingers with a delivery which nipped back to trap Harmison leg before.

It was the veteran’s first wicket of the match, and he claimed a second by ending James Anderson’s resistance thanks to another lbw verdict.

Australia, left with 36 overs in which to reach their target, suffered two early blows when Justin Langer sliced Hoggard to gully and Hayden hooked Flintoff high to square leg, where Collingwood took a fine diving catch over his shoulder.

However, Ricky Ponting and Hussey combined in a crucial third-wicket partnership of 83 which saw England’s hopes turn towards saving the game rather than winning it.

Giles had Ponting - named man-of-the-match for innings 142 and 49 - caught at short cover by Strauss, and when Damien Martyn steered Flintoff to the same player at gully, Australia needed 47 to win.

But the unflappable Hussey, who recorded his second half-century of the match, and first-innings centurion Michael Clarke calmed Australia’s nerves to seal victory and condemn England to a morale-sapping defeat.