Australia was dismissed for just 245 on the first day of the second Ashes Test in Adelaide. Despite winning the toss and batting first, Australia collapsed in two catastrophic spells. Three wickets fell in the first three calamitous overs while the final five fell in 12 overs following the 74th to ram home England's superiority. In between, the tourists bowled with control and patience to suffocate Australia's middle-order.

England survived a single over before stumps in reply, finishing 0/1.

The standout for Australia was again Mike Hussey. The rejuvenated leftie played a typically composed knock for his 93 to add a measure of respectability to a meagre total. Destined for back-to-back hundreds, Hussey fell to his first false shot of the day, edging a much-improved Graeme Swann to Paul Collingwood at first slip. Until that point Hussey's progress was serene. His judgement of a single in particular has been a feature of the early part of this series.

As Geoffrey Boycott is fond of reminding his audience, one brings two, and the very next delivery saw the dismissal of the recalled Ryan Harris. The former South Australian was hit in front and umpire Erasmus' raised his finger. Harris was adamant he inside-edged Swann's delivery before it hit his pads but the review he called for was inconclusive for long enough to save him. A snick was eventually identified but by then it was too late. The incident adds further ammunition to the growing chorus calling for the review system to be shelved.

Xavier Doherty (6) came and went in quick time, suffering a shambolic run-out in which England had time to pass the ball through three pairs of hands like a baseball fielding drill before the stumps were broken. This brought Peter Siddle to the crease who could only amass three before flicking the superb Anderson to Alastair Cook at midwicket.

All the while Brad Haddin held up the other end, swinging the occasional lusty blow in defiance. One such heave of the willow off Stuart Broad's bowling found Stephen Finn at deep square-leg to end Australia's misery. Haddin falling for a spirited 56.

The evening session compounded the difficulties Australia had made for itself earlier in the day. It was always going to be an uphill struggle once Katich was run out without facing from the fourth ball and Ponting had edged to the slips off the fifth. Clarke's near identical dismissal to Ponting's two overs later added salt to an increasingly sore wound.

Watson plugged away to fifty but fell almost immediately afterwards, wafting another Anderson delivery to Pietersen in the gully. Marcus North flattered to deceive for 26 before gifting Steve Finn a catch.

While Hussey takes Australia's honours, James Anderson deserves England's. He bowled with pace, swing and control for his 4/51 to edge out Graeme Swann who bowled for 29 overs on the first day for 2/70. Finn (1/71) was loose early while Broad (1/39) is still bowling too short to collect wickets regularly.

The View From Australia

Following a run of four Tests without victory Australia's bloodletting is underway and promises to continue. Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus and Nathan Hauritz are already Jettisoned while Marcus North is surely on borrowed time. On current form Michael Clarke would also do well to be polite to Greg Chappell.

The reality is that all the players in and around the Australian squad are good cricketers; it's just that some are unfortunately suffering dips in form and others are finding their watermark at the elite level. The frustration for supporters however is that many of the failings manifesting against England could have been addressed last summer and over the winter against mediocre opposition. Failure to do so has led to a series defeat in India and a side that on-balance is inferior to its current opponent.

The View From England

England will be delighted with its control with the ball on what is a supreme batting wicket. The run-rate rarely exceeded three as Swann and Anderson in particular gave the Australian batsman little short or wide. Upon losing the toss, England would have been satisfied with keeping Australia below 400, to keep them to 245 would have been beyond their wildest dreams.

Now comes the test of England's ruthlessness and front-running. Can they bat Australia out of the game and then force through a crucial victory?

Hero

Mike Hussey - again! It might be too soon to suggest that Mike Hussey is back to his 2006/07 best but 195 followed by 93 at crucial times for his team suggest he could be.

Villain

Marcus North - again! That a 31 year old, playing his 21st Test can remain in the Australian middle-order with an average of 35.9 does a disservice to the Sheffield Shield and invites questions of the judgement of the National Selection Panel. If there really is nobody better in Australia than North then the game is in a perilous state. If, as is more likely the case, the NSP is more convinced of his ability over that of say Callum Ferguson, Usman Khawaja, David Hussey, Philip Hughes, Steve Smith or Cameron White - surely at least one of that clutch deserves the chance to prove them wrong. Hughes for example still averages over 50 in Tests.

I'm not sure anyone else noticed but ...

If you thought there were plenty of gaps in the crowd after the tea interval it was probably because Adelaide public transport workers went on strike at 5pm. Plenty of locals tried to begin their journey's before the strike hit, which also conveniently meant they would have avoided the late-afternoon collapse.

What's Next?

In hot, clear conditions on a perfect batting wicket England will expect to bat for a long period of time. Australia will need to make early breakthroughs to begin to wrestle the momentum of the game its way but against first Test century-makers Strauss and Cook it will not be easy.

TAB Sportsbet Odds

Australia $4.50 Draw $3.50 England $1.75

Close Day 1

England 0/1

Australia 245

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SECOND SESSION:

Earlier in the day Mike Hussey led Australia to 5/159 before tea as England remained in the ascendency on the first day of the second Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval.

After the morning chaos, England had to be positively patient to wait until the second over of the session to secure Australia's fourth wicket. Despite playing straight and compact on his way to 51, Shane Watson drove airily to a widish James Anderson delivery, slicing a catch to the tumbling Kevin Pietersen in the gully.

Following the pattern of England's wicket-taking so far this series they must have fancied their chances of skittling a couple more in quick succession. Especially considering the incoming batsman was the inconsistent Marcus North. North averages 81 if he exceeds ten, which is a rarity, but a milestone that he passed in relative comfort this afternoon. That is until he played lazily to an innocuous Steven Finn delivery and guiding an open faced shot off the back foot through to Matt Prior for 26.

Considering the treatment meted out to Australia's unproductive attack North's appearance in a Baggy Green at his home WACA ground in a fortnight's time must be unlikely. Australia's line-up simply cannot accommodate a number six so prone to busting, regardless of his prowess when booming.

Apart from the wickets bookending the session, little else of note took place. Hussey and for the most part North, looked assured throughout the session as England's bowlers began to feel the South Australian heat. For a period, Strauss operated with Swann from the Cathedral End and Paul Collingwood from the River End with heavily stacked off-side fields. This strategy suffocated Australia's run-rate and likely contributed to North's demise.

Australia is now reliant on its two Brisbane heroes to once again drag their side out of the fire. Hussey has looked in supreme touch on his way to 71 while Haddin is not yet set. Without Mitchell Johnson's hitting at eight, England will feel one more wicket will expose a lengthy tail.

This has been very much the tourist's day so far and if either Hussey or Haddin falls early in the final session it could be a long few days for Ricky Ponting's side on a flat deck under clear skies.

Day 1 - Tea

Australia 5/159 - Hussey 71*, Haddin 2*

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FIRST SESSION:

Australia was rocked when the home team lost three quick wikets that left them reeling, before Michael Hussey and Shane Watson staged a minor revival.

Australia fought back from a catastrophic start to reach 3/94 at lunch on the first day of the second Ashes Test after Ricky Ponting won the toss and elected to bat at the Adelaide Oval.

After sessions passed without even a sniff of a wicket on a green, fractured Gabba it was not inconceivable that entire days could go wicketless at the bowler's graveyard in the city of churches.

Cue carnage.

No sooner had the anthems reverberated around the new Western Stand than Simon Katich was striding back towards it. After Shane Watson accounted for balls one to three of James Anderson's opening over, he diverted the fourth to square leg off a mixture of bat and pad. Watson jogged to the non-striker's end like a self-conscious goalscorer not wanting to appear too concerned about his achievement. A few yards to his left Simon Katich was right to be concerned. Guilty of ball-watching, the New South Welshman took an age to leave his crease and seemed resigned to his fate long before Jonathan Trott took aim and threw down the stumps at the striker's end.

Before all members of the press corps had taken their seats there was considerable debate about whether Katich's duck should be plated platinum or diamond?

One delivery later and the only precious metal under consideration was gold. Ricky Ponting pushed hard to his first ball, on a good length just outside his off-stump and directed a healthy outside-edge to the safe hands of Graeme Swann at second slip. Australia 0/2 from five deliveries. With the captain in the sheds celebrating his 150th Test with a golden duck and its redoubtable opener contemplating worse.

If England thought its start couldn't get any better it underestimated itself.

In Anderson's second over Michael Clarke repeated the error of his skipper and planted a good-length outswinger into slipper Swann's safe hands. Clarke (2) never looked ‘in' despite the hours of remedial net practice he has put in over the last few days. The adage about form and class springs to mind about Clarke currently but class will count for nothing if Australia falls behind in a home Ashes series.

Fortunately for Australia it has a repairman of the highest calibre in Mike Hussey. He joined Shane Watson with the score on just two but advanced his side to 94 by the lunch interval. His 195 in Brisbane possibly saved his Test career; a solid performance in Adelaide may even see Hussey overtake Clarke back into second-drop.

Not that Hussey and Watson coasted through to lunch. England used its first referral, convinced that the right-hander had been trapped LBW. Eagle-eye however supported Tony Hill's assumption that the ball would have cleared the bails. Hussey also flirted with danger. First Anderson shelled a difficult return catch, low to his left in his follow-through before a loose drive fell just short of ball-magnet Swann at second slip.

Before England's early assault all the talk was about the revamped Australian bowling attack. Doug Bollinger had replaced Mitchell Johnson earlier in the week but Ryan Harris was also named on the first morning, in for the unfortunate Ben Hilfenhaus. These changes, added to Peter Siddle and Xavier Doherty's inclusions from the first Test means Australia's entire attack is different to that which finished the tour of India.

Day 1 - Lunch

Australia 3/94 - Watson 50*, Hussey 36*