England won the toss and decided to bat first. However, within four overs they were already a wicket down as Andrew Strauss was caught for just three runs. He was then followed by Ravi Bopara (1), Ian Bell (8) and Paul Collingwood (0) before the end of the 19th over. Alastair Cook had managed to stay in throughout all this, but he was soon caught on 30 runs by Michael Clarke off Stuart Clark. After Cook's wicket, only Matt Prior offered any resistance, finishing the innings on 37 not out, while the five bowlers scored just six runs between them, three of them getting ducks. Although England responded well by getting Simon Katich out for a duck off series debutant Steve Harmison, the Australian innings began to gather pace and they were 69/1 off 15 overs by tea. The Australian second wicket partnership reached its century, but then three wickets came in relatively quick succession as Shane Watson fell for 51, Ricky Ponting for 78 and Michael Hussey for just 10 in the space of three overs. Australia finished the day on 196/4, with Michael Clarke on 34 and Marcus North on 7.