Brisbane, Nov. 27: England were battling to avoid going one down in the Ashes series after centuries from Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin gave Australia a massive innings lead in the first Test on Saturday.
Hussey registered his highest Test score of 195 and Haddin contributed 136 in a Gabba record stand of 307 runs to propel Australia to a 221-run first innings lead on the third day. England, who have not won a Brisbane Test since Mike Gatting’s team prevailed by seven wickets in 1986, reached the close at 19/0 with Andrew Strauss on 11 and Alastair Cook six.
Australia kept England toiling in the field for 158.4 overs and almost 12 hours before they got their second turn batting, but Hussey said the job was not done yet. “It’s definitely a big challenge for our team,” Hussey said.
“We’ve been in some fantastic positions in the last year or so and we have to try and finish the job. Test cricket is not easy. We know we will have to work hard for it, but it will be very special if we can.”
The leviathan sixth-wicket partnership ended 20 minutes after tea when Haddin was snapped up by Paul Collingwood at first slip off spinner Graeme Swann for 136. The six-and-a-half hour stand trumped the previous Gabba record partnership of 276 between Don Bradman and Lindsay Hassett for the third wicket against England in 1946-47.
It was deflating day for England, who began promisingly and had little luck in the extended morning session but fell away under the onslaught from the Australian pair. James Anderson put Haddin down on 113 in Stuart Broad’s 29th over after the wicketkeeper had given an earlier chance on 63.
Scores: England 260 & 19/0 vs Australia 481 (Hussey 195, Haddin 136, Katich 50; Finn 6/125, Anderson 2/99)