No sulking after heartbreaking loss: Paine

Tim Paine faces a tough ask attempting to restore morale after one of Australia's most gutting cricket losses in history, having literally had to pick up Nathan Lyon after his Headingley heartbreaker.

Australia were in the box seat to retain the Ashes after skittling England for 67 then setting a target of 359 in the third Test, higher than anything the opposition has ever chased down in 142 years of Test cricket.

The hosts slipped to 9-286 but a series of half-chances and chances went begging as Ben Stokes went bang, dragging his team to the most unlikely of series-levelling victories.

A demoralised Lyon, responsible for the most glaring let-off in the dramatic final-wicket stand, crashed to the turf with despair as Stokes hammered a 19th boundary to bring up the winning runs off Pat Cummins.

Paine's first act as captain after Stokes levelled the series was to race over to Lyon and lift him up.

"I said to him that if our players see him dealing with it really quickly and moving on, then our younger players are going to do the same thing," Paine recalled.

"And we turn up to Manchester or our next training session in a much better frame of mind, rather than have guys sulking or whatever you want to call it.

"It hurts, deal with it, move on."

Lyon offered great control with the ball on day four, dismissing Joe Root and Jofra Archer while testing Stokes, but missed a golden chance to snatch a one-run win for Australia in his final over.

Non-striker Jack Leach took off for a single and would have been found short of his ground if Lyon collected the ball and took the bails off.

Instead, Lyon fumbled the return from Cummins.

"Gazza is obviously extremely disappointed, but no one's perfect. People make mistakes," Paine said.

"The important thing is that when it happens, you cop it on the chin You hold your head up, you stick together as a team and walk off together.

"Those losses hurt and you are allowed to show that but ... (if) you let things drag on and you get caught up in the emotion, it is just wasted energy."

Stokes, already responsible for a mix-up that led to Jos Buttler being run out, was as shocked as England's fans to look up and see Leach halfway down the pitch.

"Me and Leachy could have had a conversation, he was that close," Stokes said.

"That was huge panic stations there because he was so far out.

"Obviously pressure situations in games can really affect what a human does. Nine times out of ten Nathan Lyon would pick that ball up and take the stumps off."

2019 Qantas Ashes Tour of England

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c), Cameron Bancroft, Pat Cummins, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner.

England squad: Joe Root (c), Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes (vc), Chris Woakes.

First Test: Australia beat England by 251 runs at Edgbaston

Second Test: Match drawn at Lord's

Third Test: England defeat Australia by one wicket at Headingley

Tour match: Australians v Derbyshire, August 29-31

Fourth Test: September 4-8, Old Trafford

Fifth Test: September 12-16, The Oval