The good news for the Poms - and make the most of this since there is not much of it - is that Andrew Flintoff did not put the Australians in. The bad? After the first day of the most-hyped and eagerly-awaited series in living memory, the challengers (that's Australia) are already in a position where they cannot lose the first Test. And there haven't been many draws in Brisbane lately.

Under cloudless skies and on top of a blameless Gabba wicket, they amassed 346 for three with the captain Ricky Ponting striking a flawless century. Taken in isolation this innings reaffirmed that Ponting's is the most prized wicket among the Australians. It was also a potent statement of intent. He is desperate to prove that 2005 was an aberration.

That first ball can set the tone of the series. We still remember the first delivery from Phil DeFreitas 12 years ago. It was short, wide, not very fast and crunched with such awesome authority by Michael Slater that any realistic hopes of England recovering the Ashes seemed to have vanished in the time it took the ball to skim to the cover boundary.

Well, Steve Harmison did not fall into the DeFreitas trap at the Gabba when propelling his first delivery to Justin Langer. There was no way Langer was going to hit that ball for four. Why? Because it was the widest wide I've seen in Test cricket this century. The ball sped into the hands of a startled Flintoff at second slip.

On another day the England captain might have grinned broadly and indulged in some playful banter with his mate but everyone had been waiting for this delivery for 15 months. It was a tad disappointing that it failed to hit the cut strip. Nor did it set the right tone.

Thereafter it was always going to be a struggle for England. Harmison was only allowed two overs with the new ball. So the man who had dented Justin Langer at Lord's at the start of the 2005 Ashes series was already sidelined. Recall, too, that Langer was returning to Test cricket after being struck on the head by Makhaya Ntini nine months ago. He could not have imagined such a gentle rehabilitation. He barely saw a bouncer.

Instead Langer was back in skittish mood, scoring twice as fast as Matthew Hayden, gliding, cutting and driving the ball square on the off side usually from the middle of his bat. With Harmison neutered, James Anderson was given an early spell, which was to be his best of the day. Meanwhile Matthew Hoggard laboured as stoutly as ever, mostly on target but unable to conjure any swing.

So Flintoff could only turn to himself and, by a disturbing margin, he was England's best pace bowler. He found the edge of Hayden's bat and Paul Collingwood at second slip took the catch. After lunch Langer's cut shot against Flintoff ended in the hands of Kevin Pietersen at cover.

But Flintoff had no worthwhile support until Ashley Giles was given a prolonged spell. Giles' action is remodelled; his run-up is straighter and a little shorter; he is more open-chested, but the ball was landing in the right place. At least he commanded some respect and his reward was the wicket of Damien Martyn caught at slip.

In the final session Ponting and Mike Hussey set about asserting Australia's dominance. They batted and ran with ruthless aggression. Pietersen bowled - rather well - finding enough turn to interest his old county mucker in the Australian dressing room. With hindsight perhaps England should have played Monty Panesar alongside Giles. For certain they have four torrid days ahead in Brisbane, where the draw is now their highest, distant ambition.

Vic Marks is the cricket correspondent of the Observer

Source: sport.guardian.co.uk

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