Australia v England

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McGrath traps Pietersen leg-before.

By Myles Hodgson, PA Sport Cricket Correspondent, Brisbane

Glenn McGrath delivered an emphatic response to the pre-series "Dad's Army" jibes with a stunning display of seam bowling to put England on course for a comprehensive defeat in the first Test in Brisbane.

Amid all the hype surrounding the start of the eagerly-awaited series, one of the many theories presented for England's chance of success was the seniority of many of the Australian players.

Knowledgeable judges like former England all-rounder Ian Botham went a step further and labelled Australia as a "Dad's Army", yet it was 36-year-old McGrath who delivered the knockout blow to the tourists.

Whereas England's seamers struggled to find the right line and length to allow Australia declare on 602 for nine, McGrath found the right spot often enough to claim six for 50 and helped dismiss the tourists for a lowly 157.

Perhaps the only concession to the ageing Australian attack, which also includes 37-year-old Shane Warne, was the decision by captain Ricky Ponting not to enforce the follow-on despite a 445-run first-innings lead.

While McGrath relaxed and put his feet up, Australia's batsmen toyed with England and ensured they forced their tired bodies through 40 more overs in the hot sun when they once again made the wicket look ideal for batting by reaching 181 for one and extending their lead to 626 runs.

It was a tactic which certainly worked as England became more and more ragged in the field and McGrath admitted: "We've gone out there and batted well and that has to have a demoralising effect on English batsmen,"

"When your confidence is down and you go out and bowl again and you go for plenty and don't get many wickets it can have an even worse effect on your confidence."

Relying on the simple basics of bowling accurately and allowing the wicket's widening cracks to put doubts in the minds of the batsmen, McGrath destroyed England's feeble resistance.

Only Ian Bell, who averaged just 17 during England's victorious 2005 series, provided any serious defiance and battled for nearly four hours at the crease to score a determined 50.

He teamed up with Kevin Pietersen at the start of the day and the pair resisted for 11 overs until McGrath set Australia on their way.

Pietersen had been restrained due to the situation, but became the first batsman to become beaten by the pitch when he shouldered arms to a full-length delivery which nipped back and hit him in front.

Five balls later Australia struck again with captain Andrew Flintoff falling to a duck after pushing forward and edging behind a Brett Lee outswinger.

Geraint Jones kept Bell company for a further 21 overs and perhaps underlined why coach Duncan Fletcher had preferred him to Chris Read in this first Test line-up.

Just four overs after lunch, however, Jones was trapped leg before by a full-length McGrath delivery which nipped back and hit back in his crease, beginning a mini-collapse of five wickets falling for only 31 runs

McGrath almost claimed his fifth wicket of the innings three balls later with new batsman Ashley Giles fending off a short delivery and Ponting took a diving catch at second slip only for the ball to escape when he landed.

It took a change of bowling for Australia to finally end Bell's resistance with Stuart Clark being introduced as a replacement for Lee and with his second delivery tempted Bell into edging to Ponting at second slip.

Clark quickly removed Matthew Hoggard to a catch behind two overs later and Steve Harmison continued an unhappy Test by earning McGrath his fifth wicket by also edging behind.

England's miserable demise was completed when Giles top-edged an attempted slog off McGrath and Matthew Hayden ran back from gully to take the catch and claim the fifth wicket to fall for only 31 runs in 12 overs.

Having been mistrustful of the pitch during their first innings, England's bowlers were unable to exploit the cracks with anything like the expertise displayed by McGrath and Clark, who finished with a respectable three for 21.

Instead Australia set out to demonstrate how good a batting pitch it can be with Hayden racing to 37 off 41 balls, an innings which included three successive fours struck with increasing ferocity off James Anderson.

At least Anderson gained some semblance of revenge by running out Hayden as he attempted to steal a second run, but all that achieved was to unite Australia's two most productive batsmen from the first innings in Justin Langer and Ponting.

Once again they both barely put a foot wrong and Langer had progressed to within sight of his century and Ponting, ominously, had passed 50 and looked capable of matching his first innings 196.