ANOTHER fragile batting performance by Australia has destroyed the good work of its bowlers on the opening day of the First Test at Trent Bridge.

Australia will resume today precariously placed at 4-75 after bowling England out for a modest 215 yesterday at Trent Bridge.

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Both teams have injury concerns. Stuart Broad was unable to bowl yesterday after he was struck in the shoulder by a James Pattinson short ball while batting and Shane Watson is being treated for a lower leg “niggle” which restricted him to just four overs but did not seem to impact on his batting.

Broad and Watson will be assessed again today before play.

Australia’s sub-standard batting follows a poor Test series in India, where Australia was flogged 4-0.

Despite a remarkably dry pitch the ball swung and seamed all day under gloomy skies as 14 wickets fell for 290 runs.

Ashes squad reserve batsman Steven Smith did his best to hold Australia’s innings together with 38 not out in just over an hour, including a defiant six over long on from spinner Graeme Swann.

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Had Australia not made such a nervous and wasteful start with the new ball the carnage would have been even greater.

England cruised to 2-98 at lunch before collapsing after captain Alastair Cook won the toss and batted.

Watson looked in fine touch, hitting three fours in 13, before driving hard at a ball from Steven Finn which moved away, taking the edge and flying to Joe Root at third slip.

Then an ill Ed Cowan played the most indictable shot of his modest career first ball, driving loosely at a full, wide delivery from Finn which was caught by Graeme Swann at second slip.

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Moving up to number four in the batting order Michael Clarke also made a duck, bowled by a wonderful delivery from Jimmy Anderson which moved away, and Chris Rogers (16) was unlucky to be lbw against Anderson after batting for more than an hour.

It took much of the gloss off Australia’s bowling performance.

Peter Siddle ripped the heart out of England after a slow start, claiming 5-50 including a wicket to wicket spell of 5-22 in 51 balls. It was his eighth five-wicket haul in 42 Tests.

England’s top scorer was Jonathan Trott with 48.

After Siddle’s fine work James Pattinson (3-69) and Mitchell Starc (2-54) sliced up the tail as England lost 4-2 in just 14 balls.

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Starc was on a hattrick at one stage as Australia’s pacemen dominated, pushing into the background the shock debut of 19-year-old left arm spinner Ashton Agar, who bowled seven tidy overs without taking a wicket.

Australia’s most experienced bowler, Siddle was under pressure to hold his place in the team after poor form in warm-up matches.

His first four-over spell from the Pavilion End was disappointing, going for 27 runs, but the instant captain Michael Clarke moved Siddle to the Radcliffe Road end he turned the game on its head.

After Pattinson had Cook caught behind for 13, continuing his poor record at Trent Bridge, Siddle cut a swath through the England batting.

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He delivered a wonderful yorker to Joe Root (30), which swung away late from the right hander, flying past the outside edge of his bat and crashing into the base of off stump.

Kevin Pietersen could have been dismissed for just one when he tickled a ball from Pattinson down the leg side. Wicket-keeper Brad Haddin dived desperately but the ball flew under his left glove on the way to the boundary.

However Pietersen (14) became the victim of his own ego shortly after lunch, playing too hard at a ball from Siddle which moved away, taking the outside edge and flying to Clarke at second slip.

Trott had been the pick of England’s batsmen, striking the ball wonderfully from the moment he replaced Cook at the crease, so it was a surprise when he dragged another full delivery from Siddle into the stumps.

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Siddle then removed Ian Bell (25) with a wonderful outswinger. Catching Bell in two minds whether to leave or play, he limply pushed at the ball with an angled bat, edging to Shane Watson at first slip.

Then Matt Prior (1) appeared to fall for a sucker ball, slapping a short, wide delivery straight to Phil Hughes at a strategically placed forward point, leaving heavy Ashes favourites England in trouble at 6-180.

Stuart Broad (24) played some nice cover drives but his weakness against the short ball was again brutally exposed.

Having been hit in awkward fashion Broad eventually skied a pull which was caught and bowled by Pattinson, who was spoken to by the umpires for the send off he gave the batsmen as everyone waited around for a video no ball check.

Australia’s XI: Shane Watson, Chris Rogers, Ed Cowan, Michael Clarke (capt), Phil Hughes, Steve Smith, Brad Haddin, Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Agar

England's XI: Alastair Cook (c), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, Graham Onions, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior (wk), Joe Root, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott.

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