Cardiff: Brad Haddin was an unstoppable wrecking force with the bat. He scored nearly 500 runs at an average in excess of 60. Mitchell Johnson tonked his way to a few vital contributions. The immovable force of Nathan Lyon was, well, immovable. Lyon wasn’t dismissed even once in the entire series. But all that was 18 months ago. When Day Three began at Cardiff, Australia — 264-5 overnight — were entirely depending on Haddin, Shane Watson and the rest of the tail to get as close as possible to England’s 430.

Australia’s wicketkeeper Brad Haddin reacts during play on the third day of the opening Ashes cricket test match between England and Australia at The Swalec Stadium in Cardiff, south Wales. AFP PHOTO