England's bowlers fought back with four wickets after lunch on day two but Michael Hussey held firm for Australia before bad light and rain stopped play in the first Ashes Test at the Gabba.

After the hosts reached lunch with a comfortable-looking 96 for one on the scoreboard, the touring attack came to life in the afternoon session as James Anderson inspired them to make it 143 for five.

By tea Hussey (81 not out) and Brad Haddin (22no) were together and they combined well in a curtailed final session to see Australia to 220 for five - 40 short of England's total - with the new ball ready to be taken.

Anderson and Stuart Broad each bowled well in the first hour but could find no way past Australia's two skilful openers. Simon Katich would have gone on 22 had Alastair Cook managed a direct hit from cover when Watson failed to respond to a call for a feasible single and his opening partner therefore had to scamper and dive back.

Broad produced a brutal bouncer to pin Watson on the chest and then have the batsman frantically missing a kick at the ball as it dropped into the crease and trickled past his stumps.

There were some resounding shots too - particularly from Watson, making the most of his giant stride to drive Broad past mid-off and then crunch Steven Finn straight of mid-on in his first over. England thought they had Katich, with the partnership on 67, when Billy Doctrove gave him out lbw. But DRS evidence demonstrated the ball was clearing the stumps.

In Anderson's next over, England chose to review a Doctrove not-out for lbw against Watson - only for simulation to show the ball going over leg-stump again.

It seemed nothing was going for Andrew Strauss' team, in their increasingly anxious quest for a breakthrough. But with his very next delivery, Anderson was rewarded.

He located a perfect length on the line of off stump, and a little away movement off the pitch and extra bounce took the shoulder of Watson's bat for an edge to slip and regulation catch by Strauss himself.

Katich had no trouble closing out the remainder of the morning in company with his captain Ricky Ponting. But a titanic half-hour after lunch was emphatically England's, thanks largely to Anderson - whose spell either side of the break read 11-6-18-2.