BRISBANE, (Reuters) – Australia shattered England’s batting with six wickets for nine runs in a stunning mid-afternoon spell before dismissing the tourists for 136 and taking a lead of 224 on day two of the first Ashes test on Friday.
Openers David Warner (45) and Chris Rogers (15) backed up the bowlers by batting out a gloomy final session at the Gabba and will resume at 65 without loss in Australia’s second innings on Saturday.
Oft-pilloried paceman Mitchell Johnson led the way with four for 61 as Australia transformed their prospects in the match after a disappointing opening day at the Gabba and being bowled out for 295 in the first hour on Friday.
The revitalised left-arm quick was at his pacey, hostile best on a bouncy track and was ably supported by fellow paceman Ryan Harris (3-28) and spinner Nathan Lyon (2-17) as the hosts put themselves in a good position to win a first test in 10 matches.
“You had to earn the right to have sessions like that and I thought we built the pressure quite well,” said wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, whose 94 kept Australia from a similarly dismal score in their first innings.
“We’ve got a long way to go in this test match, we’ve got to turn up tomorrow, we know England will keep coming, so it’s up to us to make sure we’re on.”
Despite the losses of captain Alastair Cook for 13 and Jonathan Trott for 10 before lunch, England looked to be making steady progress towards a reasonable score at 82-2 midway through the second session.
Haddin, though, said bowling coach Craig McDermott, returning for this series after quitting last year, had laid down the law to the bowlers at the lunch break.
“(He) told the bowlers in no uncertain terms where he wanted to things to be and we came back after the break and got our lengths right,” he said.
The departure of Kevin Pietersen for 18, when he swatted the ball off his pads to George Bailey at midwicket to give Harris his second wicket, was the first hint of the carnage to come.
Emboldened by the dismissal of one of England’s most dangerous batsmen, Johnson and his fellow bowlers ran amok to leave the tourists facing an uphill task just to save the test let alone secure a first victory in Brisbane since 1986.
Opener Michael Carberry, who had crafted a careful 40 on his Ashes debut in his second test, was next to head back to the pavilion when Johnson had him caught by Shane Watson at second slip.
JOHNSON STRIKES
Ian Bell, who scored three centuries in England’s 3-0 triumph on home soil earlier this year, followed quickly afterwards for five when Steve Smith snatched the ball out of the air at short leg.
It was Smith’s conviction that Matt Prior had hit the following ball before it landed in his hands that led to Australia successfully appealing to the TV umpire and sent the wicketkeeper back to the dressing room with a golden duck.
That put Lyon on a hat-trick and, although Broad safely watched the next delivery sail past his off stump, Joe Root (2) and Graeme Swann (0) soon became Johnson’s third and fourth victims.
The Gabba was in ferment, England’s Barmy Army silent, as Johnson, the object of so much derision from English fans, celebrated what was a match-changing, and could turn out to be a match-winning, intervention.
“The Gabba’s one of those grounds where things can happen quite quick, especially with the extra bounce,” Haddin added.
“Sometimes when you do get on a roll here it’s hard to stop.”
After tea, Stuart Broad and Chris Tremlett ushered England past the follow-on before the latter was well caught by Lyon off Harris to bring out James Anderson as the last England batsman.
Broad, who took 6-81 in Australia’s first innings, fought a spirited rearguard action and was the final wicket to fall in a barrage of short bowling, caught in the deep by Chris Rogers off Peter Siddle for 32.
“It was a disappointing session before tea which really swung the game,” Carberry said.
“Credit to the Australian bowlers, they bowled really well through the innings, we never got away from them at any point.
“We weren’t quite good enough today. Having said that, it’s a new day tomorrow.”
Haddin had been run out to end Australia’s innings but his catches accounted for the wickets of Cook and Trott to give him 200 career dismissals in his 50th test.
“I was too slow,” the 35-year-old said of the run out.
