Any false notions England may have had about touring Down Under were shattered by the harsh reality of the third day of the Ashes opener in Brisbane. Mike Hussey's sterling career-best 195 and 136 from Brad Haddin not only put the tourists firmly on the back foot in the first Ashes encounter, but will also have rocked the confidence of Andrew Strauss' men.

The contributions from Hussey and Haddin saw Australia post 481 all out, a first innings lead of 221, before Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook survived an awkward period before the close.

James Anderson, with the second new ball in hand, made the first hour of the day particularly difficult for both Hussey and Haddin. The Australian pair knew the importance of surviving through the opening salvoes, but had to rely on a healthy dose of good fortune as they played blind through a stunning opening spell from the England paceman.

Anderson thought he had his man as early as the third over of the morning when umpire Aleem Dar's raised finger sent Hussey on his way lbw. However, an immediate call for the referral showed the ball pitching outside leg-stump and the left-hander was afforded a second lifeline.

In a cruel twist of fate just a couple of overs later, Anderson produced a similar delivery, which again trapped Hussey in the crease. The bowler went up convinced but umpire Dar waved away their vociferous appeals, leaving England to rue two wasted reviews on the previous day.

With Anderson's extended spell negotiated, Hussey and Haddin looked to raise the tempo of the innings against Stuart Broad and Steven Finn who, like the previous day, were guilty of bowling too short too often. With no early breakthrough and the pressure easing, the tourists grew gradually more frustrated. Errors began to creep into the fielding and Hussey's penchant for quick singles proved particularly annoying. Haddin, who had crept his way to 25 off 111 balls, suddenly changed gear as he reached 50 just 23 balls later in powering Australia passed England's first-innings total.

With Hussey on 92 and Andrew Strauss' men desperate for a wicket, the skipper turned to his talisman Graeme Swann. Known for producing wickets in his first over of a spell, the scene was set for a showdown.

Hussey had been intent on unsettling Swann with attacking strokeplay on Friday and it took just two balls for him to make another statement against the world's leading spinner, clubbing down the ground for four. The Australian plan to get after Swann has proven very effective so far, and the way he responds throughout the rest of the series will be key to England's chances.

Having collected the boundary off Swann, Hussey then punched a cover drive for four to go to his 12th Test century. The milestone drew an emotional celebration from 'Mr Cricket', who had been heavily criticised before the Ashes and only booked his starting spot for the first Test with a last-minute domestic ton a week ago.

Not long after, Haddin was celebrating a century of his own, gaining reward for the restraint shown earlier in his innings. The Aussie wicketkeeper-batsman was fortunate, however, to survive a petulant hit out at Paul Collingwood, with Cook failing to take a difficult chance when the batsman was on 65. Haddin would also survive a simpler chance on 113 when Anderson's miserable day was made worse by a dropped catch.

There were no more chances for England in the afternoon session as the pair of Hussey and Haddin cruised to tea, with Australia dominantly placed on 436 for five.

England's catching, however, did improve after the interval and a sharp Collingwood grab at first slip brought the tourists' first joy of the day, with Haddin's departure. Finn then returned to the attack and mopped up the Australian tail, snaring a career-best six-for in the process, with Hussey falling five runs short of a double-ton.

Facing a deficit of 221, the England openers were made to negotiate a tricky 15 overs, reaching 19 without loss by the close. Strauss, on a pair, was given a major scare off his first ball but the bounce of the delivery and outstanding umpiring from Dar saw the England skipper survive what would have been a crippling blow.

Delivery of the Day
Anderson cruelly went unrewarded in an opening spell which provided plenty of deliveries that were simply too good to find an edge. After beating Hussey with a number of balls back into the left-hander, Anderson then ripped one away from the him that beat the bat but deserved more.

Shot of the Day
In a concerted effort to break his confidence, the Australian batsmen attacked Graeme Swann at every opportunity. So, when Haddin found himself on 94 and facing the off-spinner he saw it as the ideal opportunity to skip down the track and launch back over Swann's head for six to reach his third Test ton - a brilliant show of confident batting and perfect execution.

Defining Moment of the Day
The pivotal moment on day three - and potentially the series - was actually a combination of two incidents involving Hussey, Anderson, Dar and the Umpire Decision Review System. The first saw Hussey given out lbw by Dar but an immediate call for the review saw the decision rightly overturned. A couple of overs later Anderson trapped Hussey dead in front but Dar, in a rare mistake, was unmoved and England, without any more reviews, could do nothing about it. Hussey was on 85 at the time, with Australia still 31 runs short of England's first innings.

Doug Saxby