Day One at the Gabba,

Shane Warne collected the wickets of Phil DeFreitas, Darren Gough and Devon Malcolm in successive balls in Melbourne in 1994, hysteria gripped Australia. It was only the fourth time that an Australian had collected a hat-trick against the old enemy.

However, history suggests that it is now England's turn to claim the coveted three wickets in three balls. The following tour saw Darren 'Dazzler' Gough follow suit, leaving hat-tricks claimed against one another nicely poised at four apiece.

The pitch on day one was hard and flat with a green tinge to it, a standard Gabba track. The mischievous weather however decided to alter the typical situation of the opening Test, taking the sun away whilst leaving the stifling 27C heat.

Winning the toss for only the fifth time in 19 Tests between the Baggy Green and England, Andrew Strauss called his team in to bat, clearly taking note of Sir Len Hutton's and Nasser Hussain's crushing defeats after electing to field first in Test's passed.

The Gabba, pure and simply, has always given English fans little hope. It Not meaning to absolve on the negative side of the first day, but a total of 260 on a track as flat as that of Brisbane's finest, does not bode well. It was the length, pace, and precision of the only player representing the state of Victoria in the Australian squad, Peter Siddle.

Now, it being his 26th birthday was a generous bonus for him, but to dismantle England's middle order along with claiming a hat-trick was beyond most prior to the start of play. Alastair Cook (67) played a tidy, anchor-like innings, before he became Siddle's first victim.

Having been dropped when England were on 73-2 by debutant Xavier Doherty, Cook had taken his fair share of luck. Matt Prior (0) could have done little against his lone delivery, a peach of a yorker beating the Sussex man all ends up.

Step up Stuart Broad (0), a dazzling 169 against Pakistan earlier in the year had England fans hoping, but Siddle was not to be denied. Another full-length ball gave the Nottinghamshire man little room, cramped him up, rapped him on the pad, and that was that.

Prior to all the carnage, skipper Strauss (0) cut his third ball straight to a grateful Mike Hussey at gully, a ball nine times out of ten he would have belted through the gap. So with the captain back in the hutch, Jonathan Trott (29), averaging a mere 24 in five innings since arriving Down Under, stepped up to the plate.

With a threatening innings seemingly materialising, Trott played all around an up and down ball from Shane Watson to leave England at 41-2. Kevin Pietersen (43) showed typical gusto with a range of shots being brought out of the 30-year-old's locker.

A tentative prod off Siddle proved to be his downfall, with the usually rock-like Paul Collingwood (4) leaving the field soon after, having played an almost identical shot to his predecessor. Siddle's onslaught began soon after to provide the standard English collapse, going from 197-4 to a paltry 260 all out.

Graeme Swann (10) and James Anderson (11) stood their ground but could not prevent the inevitable, the latter falling to Doherty. Ian Bell (76) provided another superb display with the blade to prove that he has hit scintillating form just when needed.

Safely negotiating the last seven overs of play to end on 25 without loss, Australia will be feeling fairly smug after the taunts of the world's media over the past few weeks. It is also worth noting that in nine of England's 10 defeats at the Gabba, England's first innings score has not breached 265 runs, something worth mulling over.