The 26-year-old Durham quick finished with five for 43 in 11.2 overs, including a spell of four for seven in 14 balls that ended the innings before tea after Australia captain Ricky Ponting won the toss and elected to bat.

At tea, England were 10 without loss, a deficit of 180.

Marcus Trescothick was four not out and Andrew Strauss two not out with veteran quick Glenn McGrath still searching for his 500th Test wicket.

With Australia in dire straits at 97 for five at lunch, the stage was set for Adam Gilchrist to counter-attack in typically aggressive style.

Resuming on eight not out, the wicketkeeper set about the bowling.

But one ball after upper-cutting Ashes debutant Andrew Flintoff down to the third man boundary, he drove flat-footedly and was caught by opposing keeper Geraint Jones for a 19-ball 26.

Legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne, who walked past his own portrait in the Pavilion Long Room on his way to the middle, played his shots and so too did left-hander Simon Katich.

However, the first ball back after the drinks break saw Warne, walking across his stumps, bowled by Harmison for 28 with five fours.

His better than run-a-ball stand of 49 with Katich was the best of the innings.

And two balls later Katich, on 27, skied an intended hook and was caught behind. Geraint Jones, brought up in Australia, then dismissed Brett Lee off a Harmison delivery that took the inside edge for his fourth catch of the innings.

Harmison, pinpointed by McGrath as vital to England's hopes of ending a run of eight successive Ashes series defeats, ended the innings when he had Jason Gillespie lbw for one. McGrath was 10 not out.

Harmison, England's fastest bowler, made the team's intentions clear when with the second ball of the day he struck Justin Langer a painful blow on the right arm.

Harmison also hit Matthew Hayden flush on the helmet and and then drew blood under Ponting's right eye when the skipper missed an intended hook and the ball came off the peak of the helmet and went above the grille.

But it was swing bowler Matthew Hoggard who took the first wicket when he beat left-hander Hayden's drive and knocked over his off-stump for 12.

Harmison then struck in conventional fashion, Ponting, on nine, opening the face and edging to Strauss at third slip.

That was the start of a collapse that saw Australia lose three wickets for 11 runs in 15 balls as they slumped to 66 for four.

Flintoff, with his fourth ball in Ashes cricket, had Langer top-edging a hook to Harmison at short backward square leg for a 44-ball 40, the innings top score, including five fours.