Australia set out their marker early for this winter’s Ashes Series, handing a crushing defeat to England in Brisbane inside four days. 

The hosts bowled England out for less than 200 for a second time at the Gabba, Mitchell Johnson once again the architect, taking 5-42 to end the match with 9 wickets.

Only Alastair Cook scored more than 50, and industrious 65 while losing partners cheaply to the hostility of the Australian pace attack.

"I used the pitch to the best of my knowledge," said Johnson. 

"Those cracks started to open up and it played into the batsmen's minds a little bit.

"When I took the last wicket, all the boys were crowded in and the look on everyone's faces was a special moment and one I'll never forget. Everyone has stood up in this Test match, I'm really proud of how the boys performed. 

"To go 1-0 up in the series is the perfect start. To do it in four days is good too because it gives us extra rest before we get back into it in Adelaide."

Mitchell’s form was that of a man transformed from the inconsistent player that the barmy army had come to love after twelve months of consistent performances. England captain Alastair Cook knows there will be work to do for England’s batsmen, but is confident they can play him.

"Obviously he's bowled very well and put us under some pressure which is something that we need to work on as a side going into the Adelaide game," said Cook.

"We've faced a lot of him in the past and been successful as well. There are times when he's got on top of us and there are times when we've certainly had success against him as well."

England's plight deepened with the news that Jonathan Trott has returned home from the series due to a stress-related illness.