It's 27 years since England last beat Australia at the Gabba in a Test match, and already they require a meteorological miracle of a stupendous rearguard batting performance by Cook, Pietersen, Root and Bell if the barren spell isn't to continue.
Back in 1986, Ian Botham and Graham Dilley set up a seven-wicket victory, with Chris Broad still there as the winning runs were struck. History tells us that Mike Gatting's England proceeded to clinch the Ashes that winter and that the tourists were to suffer for the next few decades. What happens in Brisbane usually indicates the Ashes series outcome, making a good start so important.
In 1990 the pace bowlers were totally dominant. No innings topped 200 but Bruce Reid, Merv Hughes and ultimately Terry Alderman did the most and the Taylor/Marsh opening partnership racked up the 157 needed to win inside three days. Four years later, Michael Slater and Mark Waugh took control on day one before Craig McDermott took 6-53. Taylor didn't enforce the follow-on, with the result that Shane Warne ran riot on a spinning wicket on day five.
Australia were in the driving seat in 1994, too, but centuries from Steve Waugh, Ian Healy and Slater again were not quite enough as thunderstorms and a flooded outfield wiped out the final session to save England blushes. However, the next two Gabba clashes produced Aussie slaughters.
In 2002, England won the toss for a change but, having inserted Waugh's team, Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting made hay early on. Hayden struck another brisk hundred second time around and, facing a massive target of 464, England collapsed to a pathetic 79 all out thanks to Messrs Warne and McGrath. Ponting was in charge by 2006 but the first innings total passed 600 as the captain amassed 196, ably supported by Justin Langer, Mike Hussey and Michael Clarke. McGrath's 6-50 left Australia with a huge lead which Langer extended to 647 by the end of the third day. Pre-echoes of 2013 as England lost two early wickets but there was to be no fairytale fightback by Cook, KP and Collingwood and they lost by 277 runs.
Can they do better tomorrow....?
