Mike Hussey scored a composed unbeaten 81 as middle-order wickets tumbled yesterday to revive Australia's first innings and silence the critics who questioned his selection for the first Ashes test against England.
Hussey and Brad Haddin combined for an unbeaten sixth-wicket stand of 77 to lift Australia to 220 for five in reply to England's first innings of 260 when bad light and rain forced an early end to day two at the Gabba,
The pair combined with Australia in trouble at 143-5, and while the hosts had wrested back a marginal ascendancy, Hussey thought the game remained delicately poised.
"The game is 50-50 at the moment," the veteran middle-order batsman said. "We'd love to be two or three down and the same as them scorewise but the two teams are very tight.
"It's going to ebb and flow throughout the test match. We are very close and it could well come down to pivotal moments in the game. One ball or one diving catch."
Australia resumed yesterday at 25 without defeat and extended the opening partnership to 78 before James Anderson dismissed Shane Watson (36) and skipper Ricky Ponting (10) either side of lunch.
Steven Finn, on his Ashes debut, followed that up by snaring Simon Katich (50) and Michael Clarke (9) before Marcus North (1) fell to Graeme Swann, leaving Australia still 117 adrift of England's first innings total with the top order already removed.
Hussey belied the pressure of intense scrutiny over his selection, combining with Haddin to bat Australia out of trouble with some assured strokeplay. Only a century in a recent domestic first-class match secured the 35-year-old lefthander's test spot after a run of poor form in the longer form of the game. Now he's in good position to post his 12th test hundred.
England will take the new ball when play begins on day three, 30 minutes early to make up for time lost yesterday.
Hussey almost went first ball, edging a Finn delivery just short of Swann at second slip.
But immediately he took advantage of that reprieve with the first of a series of aggressive pull shots for boundaries and the test's first six — driving Swann over long on.
Earlier, the lone wicket to fall in the first session came when Watson nicked an Anderson off-cutter to Andrew Strauss in the slips.
The ball before his dismissal, Watson had survived an lbw appeal which was turned down but then referred to the video umpire. The review showed the ball may have clipped the top of leg stump, but was inconclusive enough for the initial not-out decision to stand.
Katich also survived a video referral in the first session after he was initially given out lbw when on 29 but replays showed the ball would have bounced over the stumps.
After Australia dominated two sessions, England's rally began on just the second ball after lunch, when Ponting gloved a legside catch to the keeper.
Finn sent Katich back to the dressing room with a superb, low caught-and-bowled shortly after the opener reached his half century.
He later had Clarke, who scored just nine runs from 50 balls, caught behind attempting to pull. Clarke, in doubt for the test due to a chronic back injury, looked uncomfortable as he frequently played and missed.
North — another on a lengthy list of Australian batsmen whose form was under the selectors' microscope — fell for one, caught by Paul Collingwood at slip off Swann, giving the dangerous offspinner his first wicket of a series in which he is expected to thrive.
England coach Andy Flower missed the day's play as he was in hospital having a cancerous lesion removed from his face.
Fielding coach Richard Halsall took charge but Flower is expected to return to duty today.
"He went off for a routine check, and they said they felt it prudent to take it out," the spokesman said.
"He may well be back on deck tomorrow, or most definitely the following day. As far as he is concerned, it is business as usual."