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Peter Siddle took a hat-trick on his 26th birthday and a Test-best 6-54 as England's batting was dismantled on the opening day of the first Ashes Test.

England had reached 197-4 before Siddle had Alastair Cook caught at slip for 67, and then removed Matt Prior and Stuart Broad with his next two balls.

Ian Bell hit out, making a fine 76, but England were all out for a modest 260.

Shane Watson and Simon Katich safely negotiated six overs as Australia replied with 25-0 in Brisbane.

The day served as a harsh reminder for England that, despite their flawless preparation and some strong performances in the three tour games, an Ashes series on Australian soil remains one of the toughest of assignments.

Australia, by contrast, went into the match on the back of three straight Test defeats - but the Gabba has long been a fortress and England made poor use of winning an important toss.

Captain Andrew Strauss lasted just three balls, Jonathan Trott (29) fell when threatening a major innings, and it was a similar case with Kevin Pietersen (43).

Cook, who put on 76 with Pietersen and 72 with Bell, played his part but it was his wicket that triggered the Siddle-inspired collapse that left Australia firmly on top.

It was a perfect day for the Victorian, playing only his 18th Test and first since January after spending much of the year in rehab recovering from a stress fracture in his back.

His inclusion in this match had been a hotly-debated topic, with the in-form Ryan Harris and Doug Bollinger, who had also endured an injury-affected build-up, both left out.

Siddle became the 11th Australian to take a hat-trick, the fifth in Ashes and the first against England since Shane Warne at Melbourne in 1994.

He took all six wickets with balls of full length, an indication to England's bowlers of how they might yet prosper themselves on day two.

The tourists' attack will have much to do after the hosts started the much-anticipated series in ideal fashion.

After two dot balls from Ben Hilfenhaus, Strauss sensed the chance of an early boundary, but the ball got a bit big on him, and was too close to his body for him to control the shot properly.

It flew straight to Michael Hussey at gully, and already Strauss's fastidious plans had taken a major knock.

It was with a huge sigh of relief that the generous contingent of England supporters greeted the first runs of the day, Trott steering Hilfenhaus down to third man for four in the third over.

Soon afterwards, England were nearly two men down, as the new Kookaburra ball combined with humidity created a bit of nip for the bowlers.

Siddle appealed for lbw against Trott, umpire Aleem Dar thought long and hard and ruled not out. Ponting went for the review, but with the ball just clipping leg stump on the replay, Trott was permitted to stand his ground.

Things continued to look dicey for England, a Trott edge off Siddle just bouncing before getting to Ponting at second slip.

But, with Cook building slowly and Trott more positive, England got through the first hour without losing any more wickets, only for a 41-run partnership to be ended in the first over after drinks by Watson.

A full, straight delivery somehow went through Trott's pushed drive to bowl the Warwickshire man.

Cook finally hit a boundary, pulling the disappointing Mitchell Johnson, while Pietersen announced his arrival with a crisp off-drive for four off Watson.

The introduction of debutant spinner Xavier Doherty proved a muted affair; in fact Doherty was more noticeable for his error in the field when dropping Cook, on 26, above his head at point.

Australia sensed a missed opportunity as England took lunch on 86-2.

When Cook then cracked a boundary off the first ball after lunch, and Pietersen began to show a liking for Johnson, the tourists looked well placed. But two Siddle overs forced an urgent reappraisal.

First, an excellent full-length delivery, with a bit of seam movement away from the bat, lured Pietersen into a drive that was well held by Ponting at second slip.

And another smart catch in the slip cordon, this time taken by Marcus North, did for Paul Collingwood, who made just four.

It was imperative for Bell and Cook to produce a weighty stand.

Bell looked in fine touch from the very start of his innings, but having rushed to 18 from his first 22 balls he survived a close call when the Australians reviewed a not-out decision on an appeal for caught behind off Johnson.

There was no concrete evidence that Bell had hit the ball, so Ponting had used up both his referrals.

A tea-time score of 172-4 again suggested a promising position for England, but Australia employed a conservative approach early in the final session to slow the scoring.

With the runs drying up, the Aussies still needed wickets, and Siddle provided three in three balls.

First Cook nicked one in the channel outside off-stump to Watson at first slip, then Matt Prior left a huge gate, was beaten for pace and bowled by a straight one.

As the Gabba crowd roared in expectation, Siddle gave the Aussie fans what they wanted, arrowing in a yorker at Stuart Broad's pads to claim the first Ashes hat-trick since Shane Warne in 1994 at Melbourne and the 11th by an Australian in all Tests.

The moment was tainted a little as England reviewed the decision, in some desperation, but the tourists' plight was plain to see.

Bell sensibly upped the tempo, but Graeme Swann lasted just nine balls before falling lbw to Siddle, who had become an unstoppable force - he would have had a seventh wicket if Brad Haddin had clung onto a diving catch off James Anderson.

Instead, Doherty wrapped up the innings as Bell, looking for his ninth boundary, was caught in the deep and Anderson was bowled.

Australia's openers started brightly, and when Swann's first two balls were sweetly hit by Katich for boundaries, one could sense England's confidence rapidly draining and Australia's growing massively.

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Mike Hussey hit an unbeaten 81 to keep Australia in a good position after two days of the first Ashes Test.

England's bowlers did well between lunch and tea at the Gabba, as the hosts slid from 96-1 to 143-5.

But the under-pressure Hussey hit back with Brad Haddin as the Aussies reached 220-5 in reply to England's 260, before rain brought an early finish.

The best bowlers for England were James Anderson (2-40) and Steven Finn (2-61), but Graeme Swann (1-59) struggled.

An intriguing final hour was on the agenda at Brisbane with England about to take the second new ball when umpires Billy Doctrove and Aleem Dar took the players off.

The murky light had become an issue, and though England captain Andrew Strauss was unhappy with the ruling, a few minutes later a tropical storm unleashed itself, ruling out any further play.

On a day when fortunes had flowed one way and another, it was a disappointing conclusion, particularly for England. Strauss's men knew one or two quick wickets late in the day may have prevented Australia establishing a sizeable lead.

Still, the tourists had been able to put Australia's fragile middle order under serious pressure in the middle part of the day - and pick up vital wickets in an encouraging performance.

For the first couple of hours on Friday, England's first innings score of 260 suddenly looked hopelessly inadequate as Australia reached 96-1 at lunch.

The bowlers asked occasional questions of Australian openers Simon Katich and Shane Watson, without bowling quite enough testing deliveries, and the batsmen made fairly serene progress from an overnight 25-0.

Katich survived an early run-out chance when Alastair Cook's attempt at a direct hit from 15 yards missed.

Broad hit Watson on the chest with a bouncer which almost trickled on to the batsman's stumps, but generally the big Queenslander looked in good order, hitting some exquisitely timed drives for four.

With the partnership on 67, Katich was given lbw by Doctrove, but Australia reviewed the decision and there was clear evidence to suggest the ball would have comfortably cleared the top of the stumps.

The bowler, Anderson, was beginning to bowl nicely, and had his reward when a ball just wide of off stump left Watson uncertain whether to go forward or back.

He got into a poor position and edged straight to a relieved Strauss at first slip, falling for 36. But with an increasingly settled Katich on 46 at lunch, batting with Ricky Ponting, England remained a clear second in the battle for supremacy.

The tide turned quickly in the early exchanges of the afternoon session, however. Anderson's second wicket of the day was fortunate, Ponting the man out to a leg-side "strangle" pouched by Matt Prior.

Katich unexpectedly fell to Finn for exactly 50 at a time when England's Ashes newcomer looked somewhat daunted by circumstances, and was struggling for any rhythm.

The wicket-taking delivery was nothing special, but Katich drove back down the wicket and Finn, one of the tallest bowlers ever produced by England, threw himself forward to pluck a fine return catch three inches off the turf.

Suddenly, Finn turned into an unplayable bowler. He could have removed Hussey first ball, but the left-hander's outside edge did not quite carry to the slips.

He arguably should have had Michael Clarke for a duck: after England had reviewed Dar's not-out decision, the snickometer detected sound as the ball passed the edge of the bat, but the final verdict was determined by other evidence which could not pick up Clarke's edge.

While at one end, Hussey pulled Finn for some fine boundaries and dominated Swann in what appeared a pre-determined policy, Clarke looked scratchy and ill at ease.

The back problem that put the vice-captain's participation in doubt appeared to remain an issue and he was finally put out of his misery, having made nine from 50 balls, when Finn had him caught behind off a poorly executed pull shot.

Swann, after some poor early overs, got in on the act when Marcus North edged an off-break to slip to depart for one and Australia were suddenly 143-5.

Even at tea, which came at 168-5, Australia remained in danger of trailing on first innings.

Hussey, however, displayed the raw hunger of a man who might have been dropped had he not produced a timely century for Western Australia while young pretenders Callum Ferguson and Usman Khawaja failed for Australia A in England's final warm-up match.

The 35-year-old's desire, plus his well-known determination and vast experience, turned him into a rock-solid force in the final session.

Haddin (22) combined some fine shots with a series of wafts outside off stump that had England's seamers gasping in frustration.

And they will have to find a way past him, and more importantly Hussey, early on Saturday to keep the tourists in touch. Day three will begin half an hour early, at 2330 GMT on Friday.

hugh

Nov 26 2010, 08:25 PM

Slow day for Australia it seems. Hussey back in form. But we still have the upper hand, hopefully we can get a partnership going on day 3 and build a lead.