Siddle destroys England on day one of the Ashes

First test (day one): England 260 all out, Australia 25-0. If England thought winning the Ashes Down Under was going to be a formality they had a very rude awakening on day one of the first Test in Brisbane, as Australia took control of the match, rattling through England's batting and making it through to stumps without losing a wicket.

The undisputed star of the show was Australian bowler Peter Siddle who took a superb hat-trick to destroy England's hopes of posting a decent total and claimed six wickets, and all on his 26th birthday.

England will be praying that the tone of the series was not set, as it has been in the past, by the opening over. Four years ago England bowled first and Steve Harmison's wild first ball flew straight to second slip. This time round England were batting, and although Andrew Strauss negotiated the first two balls of Ben Hilfenhaus's opening over, he steered the next straight to point and the Gabba erupted as Mike Hussey pouched a simple catch to dismiss England's captain for a third ball duck. The visitors were 0 for 1.

Jonathan Trott and Alistair Cook tried to steady the ship, but Australia got another breakthrough before lunch when Trott was bowled by Shane Watson with the score on 41.

That brought Kevin Pietersen to the crease. England's most dangerous batsman looked in good form but, not for the first time, he got himself out when apparently set for a big score. His dismissal for 43, at the hands of Siddle, left England on 117-3.

Collingwood followed soon after, but with Cook and Ian Bell at the crease England were still confident of a decent total.

But the visitors' dreams fell apart in the space of three balls in the evening session as Siddle demolished England's lower middle order. First he had Cook caught at first slip and next ball bowled new man Matt Prior. Then, with the Gabba crowd baying for blood, he trapped Stuart Broad leg before to leave England's batting in tatters and the score on 197-7.

Bell tried to marshall the tail but when he was dismissed for 76 the game was up and England were all out for a very paltry 260.

Australia faced a tricky mini-session of seven overs before the close, but rubbed salt in England's wounds by making batting look easy as they cruised to 25 without loss at the close.

And there were ominous signs of what could be coming England's way over the next couple of days as Graeme Swann, so often the man to save England, was unceremoniously carted for successive fours by opener Simon Katich. ·