England dig in after Strauss dismissal

Bell (63no) responded to Strauss' departure by buckling down after a largely free-scoring first morning, as he and Paul Collingwood reached 158 for two in pursuit of the platform needed for a match-controlling total. Strauss had led the way before lunch with an 89-ball 50, having made the obvious choice to bat first despite increasing cloud cover.

He and Bell ensured an England recovery from the early dismissal of Alastair Cook, who poked out at a useful delivery from Peter Siddle and was neatly caught at second slip by Ricky Ponting.

England's second-wicket pair had to come through an awkward hour and a half - the first 15 minutes batting under lights.

Strauss' contribution was notably fluent, featuring 10 sweetly-timed fours off Australia's four-man pace attack.

Bell, meanwhile, endured a predictably sticky start. Before scoring, he was struck on the wrist by a short ball from Siddle - umpire Asad Rauf probably getting a close call right by giving Bell not out caught behind.

Ponting duly brought Mitchell Johnson into the attack - the left-armer saw Bell off in both innings in Leeds - and he again homed in on his intended target with more short stuff. The Warwickshire batsman fell to a brute of a ball from Johnson on his first attempt at Headingley and survived this time without appearing to have a confident gameplan on a quicker pitch.

Strauss was more assured, twice picking Johnson off for impressive boundaries just behind square-leg off his hip.

Bell needed attention for a bruised knee shortly before lunch but recovered quickly - only to lose Strauss in the third over of the afternoon, via a thin edge behind off a Ben Hilfenhaus delivery.

Bell completed his own half-century with his eighth boundary, a leg-glance off Hilfenhaus, from his 73rd ball - but he and new number four Collingwood took no chances as 50 runs were added in an hour's play.