If the first hour sets the tone of an Ashes series England may as well go home now.
Certainly things scarcely got brighter for the tourists after a horror start against the new ball, as they were bowled out before tea for just 147.
No sooner had Joe Root won the toss and batted was he back in the pavilion pondering the huge hole he and the rest of the top order had dug before new Australian captain Pat Cummins, who finished the innings with the figures of 5-38, had even got his hands on the new ball.
LIVE UPDATES: Storm threatens play after Cummins magic
READ MORE: ‘Crazy’ England selection call savaged by critics
READ MORE: Mitchell Johnson blasts ‘absolute crap’ policing of on-field confrontation
After starting the series under pressure, Mitchell Starc made his critics eat humble pie with the very first delivery of the day, when he smashed through the stumps of Rory Burns, who completely misjudged a full ball that swung behind his legs and into the stumps after starting down the legside.
That first ball of the summer set the tone for what became a miserable start to the series for England, with Josh Hazlewood joining in to quickly dismiss Dawid Malan and Root before Cummins took charge with another outstanding spell of bowling.
At 3/11 the tourists had a massive hill to climb. When star allrounder Ben Stokes became Cummins’ first victim for just five it became a mountain and at that point it looked like they’d struggle to combine for a total greater than 100.
Top scorers Jos Buttler (39) and Ollie Pope (35) offered a brief resurgence with a strong partnership, but when they were dismissed in quick succession off the bowling of Starc (2-35) and Cameron Green (1-6) Australia regained full control and Cummins knocked over the tail.
MORE TO COME…
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!