Aussies in trouble at lunch on Day1

BRISBANE: At lunch on day one, Australia were 71 for two after winning the toss, with Warner on 42 and skipper Michael Clarke yet to score on a sunny day at Brisbane's Gabba ground.

Australia are bidding to avoid losing four successive Ashes series for the first time since 1890, but it was a good start for Broad, vilified for not walking during the teams' recent Tests.

Broad claimed the early wicket of Chris Rogers, and just before lunch, he added Shane Watson for 22 to go into the interval with figures of two wickets for 30 off eight overs.

Loud boos met Broad when he came on to bowl and the pugnacious Warner hooked his first ball to the boundary in a bristling statement of intent.

Uninhibited opener Warner earned a bad boy reputation after he punched England batsman Joe Root in a bar before the last Ashes series, and earlier engaged in a Twitter war with journalists.

Warner took six runs off Broad's opening over and he unfurled a beautiful cover drive for four off James Anderson to race into double-figures.

But Broad struck with the first ball of his second over with a lifter which Rogers thick-edged to Ian Bell in the gully.

Warner then dabbed an audacious upper-cut off Broad high over the slips for four in what was shaping as a fascinating contest between the pair.

However, Broad prized the key wicket of Watson, who needlessly played outside his off-stump and was snapped up by Graeme Swann in the slips to bring Clarke to the crease in the last over before lunch.

England had some anxious moments when star bowler Anderson crashed to the ground, dislodging a big divot in the grassy outfield, as he fielded near the boundary rope.

Anderson gingerly got to his feet and checked his left knee before continuing, amid memories of a serious knee injury suffered by England bowler Simon Jones in a similar incident at the Gabba in 2002.

England wicketkeeper Matt Prior was cleared to play after passing a fitness test following a calf injury, and Australia went with spinner Nathan Lyon ahead of all-rounder James Faulkner.

England batsman Kevin Pietersen is playing in his 100th Test match, while middle-order batsman George Bailey, 31, became Australia's oldest debutant in 34 years.