Australia fight back as Stuart Broad takes five wickets

Home team 273 for eight on first day of first Ashes Test at Gabba, Brisbane.

Stuart Broad was heckled by the crowd as soon as he completed his 11th five-wicket haul in Tests. Tertius Pickard / AP Photo

Toss Australia, chose to bat

1st innings

Australia 273-8 (Haddin 78 not out, Johnson 64, Warner 49; Broad 5-65)

Stuart Broad’s actions spoke loudest as he answered the boos of the Gabba crowd with five wickets to give England the advantage on day one of the Ashes.

Broad is the Englishman Australians currently love to and are encouraged here to hate, after his at times controversial role in last summer's 3-0 Ashes victory, and he duly gave them five more reasons to do so.

He was the driving force as the hosts were reduced to 132 for six by mid-afternoon – before Brad Haddin (78 not out) and Mitchell Johnson (64) redressed the balance in a much-needed century stand on the way to a stumps total of 273 for eight, which was still below par after Australia had chosen to bat in sunny conditions.

Predictably booed when announced to bowl the second over after a James Anderson maiden, Broad took the first wicket of the series with just 12 runs on the board.

David Warner and Shane Watson appeared to settle home nerves with a half-century stand, only for Broad to strike again either side of lunch with the next three to fall - including the prize of home captain Michael Clarke for just a single.

Broad (five for 65) began his Ashes by dropping short a no-ball which Warner pulled for four, the first delivery he faced – much to the delight of the home support.

With only his seventh legitimate delivery, though, Broad struck.

On a pitch providing plenty of bounce, but no evident sideways movement, he had Chris Rogers splicing a simple catch to gully to depart for just a single.

In the same over, number three Watson was under way off Broad with an unconvincing poke for three just over the head of Michael Carberry at point.

Broad’s next over then started with a ramp shot by Warner high over the slips which bounced only a few yards inside the rope at a fine third-man.

Anderson had a less hectic but impressive initial spell, four overs at the cost of just seven runs before being replaced by Chris Tremlett at the Vulture Street end.

Australia were set to close out the morning until Watson pushed out on the back foot at Broad and was very well-caught by Graeme Swann, diving away to his right at second slip.

Clarke kept out the remainder of the over. But to the very first short ball from Broad after lunch, he could not get out of the way and gloved a simple catch to short-leg.

Warner undid his good work, one short of his 50, when he mistimed an attempted back-foot force off Broad straight to cover to complete a damaging sequence of three wickets for 12 runs.

It was an especially tame end to a spirited innings from the combative opener – and although debutant George Bailey then began confidently with an on-drive off Broad for three first ball, he made no more runs from another 14 before edging the deserving Anderson low to first slip in back-foot defence.

Steve Smith and Haddin added 32, before the former succumbed to Tremlett – playing on the back foot at one he perhaps did not need to, and edging low to Alastair Cook at slip.

Broad returned again, to more obligatory boos – hitting Haddin on the helmet with one short ball – but Johnson brought up the 150 just before tea with a six from the crease over long on off Swann.

Australia’s seventh-wicket partnership shed fresh light both on the failures of those above them, and England’s potential vulnerability with the old ball in this series.

There was to be no reverse-swing, thanks to a lush outfield – and virgin square – and there was little if any help for Swann either.

Tremlett was deployed in a holding role, but the lack of his old pace must be a concern for the tourists.

Haddin and Johnson made the most of those factors, taking 100 and 115 balls respectively over their half-centuries with nine fours and three sixes between them.

England were holding out for the second new ball by then, and Broad did the trick with it when he swung one back to bowl Johnson as the left-hander looked to attack again.

It was a low point of the day, though, that - as Broad held the ball up to the crowd to mark his 11th five-wicket haul in Tests - the boos rang out again.

Ashes ‘banter’ aside, that incongruous noise did no one any credit on a day which ended with more English smiles when Cook took his third slip catch as Peter Siddle fell to Anderson.