27 November,2010 02:54 PM IST | | Agencies
Australia's Brad Haddin rated the England bowling as the toughest he had faced in Test cricket after he and Mike Hussey put their side into a strong position in the Ashes opener on Saturday.
Hussey registered his highest Test score of 195 and Haddin contributed 136 in a Gabba record stand of 307 runs to take Australia to a 221-run innings lead on the third day.
By the close England had reduced the deficit to 202, finishing on 19 without loss at stumps.
The Australian pair had to negotiate a testing period in the morning before coming through to build their match-turning sixth-wicket stand.
"The first hour and a half was probably the hardest Test bowling I've ever had to face," said Haddin, playing in his 28th Test match.
"It was a pretty conscious effort to make sure we got through that unscathed and hopefully at the back end of that we might be able to get on top of the bowling and bat with a bit more freedom.
"But that first period was the toughest Test cricket you can get with (James) Anderson and (Stuart) Broad bowling.
"The pleasing thing is that we came through the other side and put the result on the board that we did."
The pair's 398-minute partnership trumped the previous Gabba record of 276 between Don Bradman and Lindsay Hassett for the third wicket against England in 1946-47.
"It was a very satisfying moment to score a hundred, it's something I will remember for the rest of my life," Hussey said.
"There was a bit of relief, a bit of excitement and there were great emotions running through the body and I'll remember that for a long time.
"I've still got plenty of adrenalin running through my body, so I might have struggle to get off to sleep tonight, I'm sure I will playing some shots through my mind."
Haddin moved swiftly through the nineties and clouted spinner Graeme Swann for six to bring up his third Test century.
"I wanted to get out of the nineties as quick as I could to be honest," Haddin said.
"They cut my scoring areas off pretty well and I could see what they were doing but I had a clear head and went for it."
Hussey said the workload England's four main bowlers had to endure might tell on them later in the series.
"It was good to make them bowl three or four spells each and bowl a lot of overs and it's tough for a bowler to keep getting up and bowling in those conditions, so hopefully that will have its benefits," he said.
Hussey recounted that he had some banter with James Anderson during his marathon stay at the crease.
"He was asking plenty of questions today, but I didn't think he was talking to me because he kept calling me Dave, I think you got that wrong," laughed Hussey, whose brother David plays one-day internationals for Australia.
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