James Anderson reduced Australia to their worst start to a Test innings in 60 years and despite a stirring fightback from Michael Hussey, England remained well on top after the opening day in Adelaide. Few venues in the world are kinder to batsmen than Adelaide Oval, and after winning the toss on a 34-degree day, for Australia to be dismissed for 245 before stumps was not only sub-par, it was potentially ruinous.
Anderson and Graeme Swann bowled superbly on the flat surface at a ground that holds four-year-old nightmares for some of the England players. It was the Australians who were suffering from frightening visions early on this occasion, although it could have been even worse for Ricky Ponting's men after they were 3 for 2 in the third over.
Hussey's second counterattacking innings of the series dragged the hosts back to a vague level of respectability, but they wanted his 93 to be another big century. There was also a late half-century from Brad Haddin but an England attack led by Anderson, who thoroughly deserved his 4 for 51, ensured Australia's worst first-innings total at Adelaide Oval since 1992-93. England faced an over before stumps, and the openers enjoyed a more sedate start than had Australia.
The chaos began with the fourth delivery of the Test, which ran away to square leg off Shane Watson's pad. There was a leg bye on offer but Watson later admitted his call was too quiet for his partner Simon Katich, who hesitated, then took off and was denied the chance to face even one delivery when he was caught short by Jonathan Trott's brilliant throw.
If a diamond duck in the first over was an embarrassing start for Australia, it was only to get worse. Ponting, who looked so fluent in his second-innings half-century at the Gabba, was greeted first ball by a great ball from Anderson, who angled it in and then moved it away from Ponting, whose thick edge was snapped up by Swann low to his left at second slip.
The match was five balls old, Australia were 2 for 0, and the spectators who hadn't yet made it through security at the Adelaide Oval had missed one of the most memorable starts to an Ashes Test. It quickly got even better for England in Anderson's next over, when he sent down a ripsnorter to get rid of Michael Clarke for 2.
Clarke looked horribly out of sorts in Brisbane, and in truth he was unlucky to even get an edge to Anderson on this occasion, as the ball hooped in towards him and then jagged away. Clarke reached forward, trying to smother the movement with a positive drive, and his thick edge was taken at second slip by Swann. Clarke has been working with Ponting in the nets during the week, but emulating his dismissal was not the idea.
It was a wonderful start from Anderson, who bowled well in at the Gabba without luck, and not since an Ashes Test in Brisbane in 1950 had Australia scored so few runs for the loss of their first three wickets. Marcus North and Haddin, who had been settling in for a quiet morning, were frantically searching for bats and pads to prepare for a potentially early entry.
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