Aussies take early initiative

With Andrew Flintoff ruled out through a knee injury, there was also a major scare when wicketkeeper Matt Prior suffered a back spasm in the warm-ups.

Captain Andrew Strauss was involved in getting the toss delayed 10 minutes in a bid to give Prior time to prove himself fit and therefore did not get the usual preparation time when, after winning the toss, he walked out to bat. He did not last long as Australia reduced England to 42 for four.

Strauss was lucky to survive a confident leg before appeal by Ben Hilfenhaus from the first ball of the day but failed to cash in.

It was a brilliant catch from Marcus North at third slip that accounted for Strauss as a sliced drive was clutched one handed to his right off Peter Siddle.

Number three Ravi Bopara's terrible trot in the campaign then continued as a delivery of extra bounce from Hilfenhaus lobbed to gully from a bat hung outside off-stump, while Ian Bell gloved a rising delivery from Mitchell Johnson to Brad Haddin for eight.

Stuart Clark, who replaced Nathan Hauritz in the Australian line-up, then produced a good outswinger to Paul Collingwood and the Durham batsman edged behind to Ricky Ponting.