England's bowlers fought back with four wickets after lunch on day two at the Gabba to retain a foothold in the first Ashes Test.

Simon Katich (50) and Shane Watson laid an ominous platform for the hosts, in reply to an apparently under-par 260 all out. But James Anderson led the attack memorably to compromise Australia's progress from 96 for one to 168 for five in the second session.

Anderson and Stuart Broad each bowled well in the first hour but could find no way past Australia's two skilful openers. 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, though - 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 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.

He struck, fortunately, with just the second ball of the afternoon when Ponting tried a leg-glance and got only a faint edge behind instead.

Katich completed his 103-ball half-century with a perfect example of the same shot, for just his fifth four, off Finn - but then fell to the same bowler, via a fine return catch down by the 6ft 8in seamer's boots. Finn almost had Michael Hussey first ball, the edge falling just short of Graeme Swann at second slip.