1. Cash In
England will bemoan their bad luck after an arduous day at the Gabba, but Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin showed the importance of cashing in on any god fortune that comes your way. Hussey had a torrid time in the first hour of the morning against Jimmy Anderson at his unplayable best, having one close lbw call overturned on review and then escaping what replays suggested was a very adjacent shout soon after. But he battled through it and, as it always will if you hang around long enough, batting got easier and easier and by lunchtime he was once again in full and total control and driving, pulling and cutting England to distraction. He is a man who simply loves batting and the only surprise was that he didn't go on to record the first double-century of his career. Taken in isolation it's an innings of enormous merit; given the fact he was almost certainly batting for his international career it was Herculean. The release of emotion when he got to three figures was close to a primal scream and a truly memorable moment. Don't write off Mr Cricket.

2. Game Awareness
For all that, arguably the more impressive innings was Haddin's. He can surely never have batted better. He arrived at the crease with his side wobbling and England bowling well. He battled gamely to the close. With the new ball doing plenty this morning, things didn't get any easier. But still he scrapped, reining in his attacking instincts and, sure, using a little bit of luck to get through it. But the moment he sensed the danger starting to pass he launched a counter-attack and raced from 50 to 100 in glorious style, eventually bringing up the landmark with a towering six down the ground. Warney calls it "game awareness" and Haddin's role in a game-breaking partnership cannot be underestimated.

3. Standards
What will trouble England's set-up when they look back on today's play was the way standards were allowed to slip once Australia got on top. England's hitherto impressive groundfielding went to pieces and two catches - one fiendishly difficult, one relatively straightforward - were shelled as Hussey and Haddin took the game galloping away from England. The tourists were also far too quick after lunch to go totally on the defensive by trying to bowl wide of the off stump and stem the flow of runs. The fact they were not even able to achieve that is damning.

4. Not Fair
No, not Mike Hussey's early reprieve, but this: Anderson 37-13-99-2; Finn 33.4-1-125-6. Further evidence that there are lies, damn lies and bowling figures.

5. Context
Plenty to worry about for Australia after the top order slumped to 143/5 before the tail was blown away as the last five wickets fell for 31 and Steven Finn marked his Ashes debut with a splendid six-wicket haul as a string of Aussie batsman failed to cope with the extra bounce he generates from his six-foot-eight frame.

Dave Tickner