Close Australia 364 for 2 (Hayden 186*, Ponting 123) v England
Scorecard

In all the worst-case scenarios Englishmen dared to contemplate before the Ashes series, it never got as bad as this. As if watching Australia storm to 364 for 2 on a belter of a pitch wasn't excruciating enough, England lost Simon Jones for the series with a gruesome, freakish knee injury. When you win the toss and bowl first, as Nasser Hussain did, this just isn't supposed to happen. It was an absolute massacre, and the majority of the highest first-day crowd in Gabba Test history loved every minute of it.

Not for the first time, Australia's leading man was Matthew Hayden. On his home ground he was dropped four times on his way to 186 not out, his first century against England, his sixth century in his last 10 Tests, and the highest score ever made on the first day of an Ashes series. Hayden added 272 in 61.1 overs with Ricky Ponting, a record for Australia's second wicket in Ashes Tests in Australia and against anyone at Brisbane. Ponting made a leisurely 123, his fourth hundred in his last six Tests.

An appalling day for England was summed up by two shocking pieces of fielding to reprieve Hayden. On 102, Matthew Hoggard made a complete meal of a skyer at mid-off, failing to even lay a hand on the ball, and on 138 Michael Vaughan at deep extra-cover let an absolute sitter go straight through his hands.

When England won the toss for only the third time in 18 Ashes Tests, it was a major surprise that Hussain decided to field first - especially as none of his side had ever bowled in a Test in Australia - and he can expect to be crucified for his decision.

It was one-way traffic from the start. While Hayden mixed booming drives with vicious cross-bat shots, Justin Langer thrashed on the up at every opportunity in an opening partnership of 67 in 14 overs. His quickfire 32 ended when he pushed away from his body at Jones's ninth delivery in Ashes Tests and was taken by a tumbling Alec Stewart.

Shortly after lunch, Jones's tour came to an end in grim fashion. Attempting to slide to stop a boundary at long-on, Jones got his left knee stuck in the turf as his right leg wrenched forward at a grotesque angle. He was stretchered off in agony, clutching his right knee. It looked extremely serious - and it was. Jones ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and cannot even fly back to England for an operation for two weeks. He will be out for at least six months.

Soon after, Hayden thumped an Ashley Giles full-toss through the covers to reach his century off only 129 balls. It was an odd innings, thoroughly brutal at times - one stand-and-deliver six over long-on off Mark Butcher took the breath away - yet unconvincing at others. As well as being put down by Hoggard and Vaughan, Hayden saw the substitute Robert Key grass a half-chance at deep mid-off when he was 149. And before lunch, Jones took a storming catch at long leg but had to release the ball as his momentum took him over the boundary. Hayden rode his luck to clatter 22 fours and two sixes.

Ponting was subdued to start with, but by the time he went to his half-century with a gentle chipped six off Giles, he was flying; the next ball was flipped softly over long-on again. All the trademark Ponting shots were in full working order: searing swivel-pulls, gunbarrel-straight drives, and swaggering clips through midwicket. Who said the Aussies would miss the style of Mark Waugh? Ponting finally fell to Giles, bowled behind his legs via the bottom of his thigh-pad (339 for 2), but Hayden and a passive Damien Martyn saw it through to the close against the second new ball.

There was a painful inevitability about proceedings, but England really were poor. Andy Caddick was in Mr Hyde mode and bowled far too short early on, Hoggard hardly beat the bat all day, Giles couldn't even tie up an end, and Craig White's bowling average against Australia soared past 250. The one man who did impress ended up in hospital. It could not have gone any worse.

After only one day, it seems an eighth consecutive series win is there for Australia. That run started in 1989, when, as now, England won the toss and fielded in the first Test. Australia piled up 601 for 7 then. For England, a repeat would represent a minor triumph here.

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