Stuart Broad took five wickets to put England in charge on the first day of the first Ashes test despite a battling Australian rearguard that kept the hosts alive at 273 for eight at the close of play yesterday.

The England paceman’s first four wickets helped trigger an Australia collapse from 71 for the loss of a single wicket prior to lunch to 132-6 during the middle session.

Broad, cast as the pantomime villain in Australia after his failure to walk at Trent Bridge earlier this year, then returned with the second new ball to bowl Mitchell Johnson for 64 and break his 114-run seventh wicket stand with Brad Haddin.

Haddin, playing his 50th test, was unbeaten on 78 when stumps were drawn with long shadows across the ground, and will resume on day two with Ryan Harris, who had scored four.

Australia won the toss and decided to bat on a bright, sunny morning at the Gabba and the booing of Broad, branded a ‘smug Pommy cheat’ on the front page of the local Courier-Mail newspaper, contributed to a festive atmosphere.

England, who won the first series of this year’s double header 3-0, are chasing a fourth successive Ashes triumph and a first victory at the Gabba since 1986.

All is not lost for Australia, however, and they could look to the corresponding Gabba test in the 2010-11 series for some comfort.

England were bowled out for 260 on the opening day but battled back for a draw, carrying the momentum from that recovery to clinch the series 3-1.