England were given a warning that it will take more than the loss of Australia ’s captain at the eleventh hour to knock their Ashes ambitions off course.
In fact the opposite appears to be true as a Steve Smith -led Australia enjoyed just about the perfect start to the 2nd Test while Pat Cummins watched on TV from his hotel room.
With David Warner hitting a much more impressive 95 to go with his 94 from the Gabba, and Marnus Labuschagne reeling off 95 not out, Australia took a grip on proceedings to close 221-2 under the beaming lights.
But once again England made life harder for them than it needs to be with Jos Buttler dropping Labuschagne twice when he had made 21 and 95.
The second drop coming towards the end of a long day was as straightforward a catch as they come and would have been just the tonic with the second new ball under lights for James Anderson, but instead it summed up England’s tour so far.
And to think it was Australia who came into the game with a wobble after their skipper pulled out in the morning.
Cummins found himself in covid isolation after being identified as a close contact of an acquaintance who spoke to him indoors at a restaurant on the eve of the match, before being pinged as a positive case.
The new Test skipper must now remain alone in his room for the next seven days while he watches his team try and go 2-0 up with three to play.
No Cummins meant a rejig for the home side on the morning of the game as vice-captain Smith stepped up to lead for the first time since sandpapergate over three years ago and pace bowler Michael Neser was presented with his baggy green cap by Glenn McGrath.
McGrath knows all about the unexpected loss of a team’s leading bowler on the morning of the 2nd Ashes Test after his mishap in 2005 when he trod on a stray ball.
Ricky Ponting compounded the issue by choosing to have a bowl before watching England rack up the runs in double quick time on their way to a dramatic win.
There was to be no such generosity from Smith who won the toss and chose to bat on a blameless surface under clear blue skies and on a roasting hot day.
The return of Anderson and Stuart Broad for England was designed to be a boost for Joe Root who needed his bowlers to strike hard and fast to get things off to a decent start.
The hapless Marcus Harris happily obliged by mistiming a pull and helping it round the corner for the diving Buttler to take a wonderful athletic catch down the legside.
But that was where England’s afternoon joy began and ended as Warner and Labuschagne proceeded to put on a Test batting masterclass.
England got excited by a couple of lbw appeals that resulted in them losing two out of three reviews before the first session was done.
But apart from that, it was all about how well the Aussie duo, left the ball, defended the ball and looked after their wickets. It was patience personified.
At 45-1 it was honours even by the first break, at 129-1 it was slight advantage Australia at the second break, and the trend continued to the close.
Warner had been lucky in Brisbane, but he didn’t need any of the sort here. Battling with his sore ribs, he bided his time perfectly until the ball got softer and the England bowlers tired before making his move.
In the end he got so carried away with the dominance he was enjoying as he moved through the gears he gave his wicket away, cutting a long hop from Ben Stokes straight to Broad at cover.
Smith got a warm reception as he made his way to the middle and he will still be there to add more pain to England on day two in more bright sunshine.
And thanks to Buttler, so too will Labuschagne.
“You’ve got to feel for Jos,” said Aussie legend Shane Warne. “It is the worst feeling in the world when you drop a catch and that was a regulation catch, he should have taken it.”
