Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne gave Australia hope for the Ashes as well as a 162-run lead after the second night of the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Gabba.
With one Test between the Gabba and this year's Ashes campaign, Labuschagne hit 81 and Head 84 as they pushed away to 323 in their first innings in reply to Sri Lanka's 144.
In-form quick Pat Cummins landed a massive blow before stumps, nicking off Dimuth Karunaratne caught behind for three to leave the tourists 1-17 and still trailing by 162.
But it was day for Australia's two middle-order batsmen.
They fought hard in swinging conditions that offered similar challenges to those likely ahead in England before putting on a 166-run fifth-wicket stand that was the hosts' best partnership of the summer.
"I've worked on my game extremely hard ... on that part of my game with the ball moving and both sides of my bat," Head said.
"Very disappointing to not get a hundred. But it's nice to spend time out there when the ball is swinging because it's one part of my game over the years that's been tested.
"It's now starting to show a bit of a reward."
Labuschagne's knock was a breakthrough innings for the South African-born Queenslander, who was a controversial selection for Australia's last Test of the Indian series at the SCG.
He played with patience and control, hitting three boundaries - all against spinners as he swept them when full and straight and got on the back foot when there was width.
However a triple-figure score, which would have helped his Ashes cause, still eluded him when he pushed one to short mid-on from spinner Dhananjaya de Silva.
Head fell for 84 to a ball from Suranga Lakmal that replays showed would have clipped the bails after the South Australian reviewed it.
The left-hander offered a chance on 29 when wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella spilled him off Dushmantha Chameera's bowling, but he otherwise played superbly through the offside.
Five of his 10 boundaries went between gully and cover, as he pounced on anything wide of the off-stump.
It came after Marcus Harris threw away a shot at a big score of his own, bunting a short ball to point to be out for 44 in the first over of the day.
Kurtis Patterson later showed promising signs with a 30 on debut - including three cut shots for four off one Chameera over - before he fell lbw to Lakmal to one that seamed back.
It was one of five wickets for Lakmal, whose 5-75 were the third best figures by a Sri Lankan in Australia.
