The showdown between Ashes skippers Steve Smith and Joe Root was billed as a battle between arguably the two best batsmen in the world at present.
On Saturday it boiled down to modern-day 'Bodyline', with Smith forecasting a slow-moving series based on the tourists' "very defensive" methods.
Root missed out on a big score in England's first innings but fittingly when the first Test was in the balance on Saturday it was he and Smith trading blows in a fascinating tactical tit-for-tat.
England's fresh-faced captain, desperate to starve Smith of runs and bore him into submission early on day three at the Gabba, stacked the leg side with six fielders and asked his quicks to bowl short.
The run-rate dipped amid the bouncer barrage - only 48 runs were added in the morning session - but Smith was rarely ruffled and marched to 141 not out.
"They were obviously trying a few things there ... they were pretty defensive from the outset," Smith said.
"It was almost as though they were waiting for our batsmen to make a mistake.
"It was very defensive ... it might be a series where boundaries are hard to come by but if you bat for long enough and rotate the strike you will get runs when the bowlers get tired."
Stuart Broad couldn't hide his delight when told of Smith's comments.
"Perfect. We know the Australians like to score quickly, if we can restrict them from scoring a lot of boundaries then we'll have periods of taking wickets," Broad said.
"The less balls we can bowl at Steve Smith, the more balls we can bowl to batsmen at the other end, and the better for us."
Smith occasionally picked gaps but watched most short-pitched deliveries sail unthreateningly over his head during a knock that lasted almost nine hours.
"It's been a good ploy by England and it's something different," former Test skipper Michael Clarke said on the Nine Network, adding he's been impressed with Root's captaincy.
"A lot of teams have tried to bowl at the stumps, one metre outside off stump (to dismiss Smith). I don't think anybody has spent time on the short ball.
"He's handled it well."
Root has done his homework with the help of England coach Trevor Bayliss and bowling coach Shane Bond, coming up with clear plans for every Australian batsman.
Root cycled through plans A, B and C for his counterpart, trying to stop boundaries while setting some funky fields.
"He was incredible patient but if we get a pitch with any sideways movement and a bit more pace it brings the edge into play," Broad said.
Fellow quick Jimmy Anderson noted it was up to England's attack to figure out a way of getting him out.
"He moves around so much, you almost have to take him out of the equation and concentrate solely on where you want to pitch the ball," Anderson told ABC Radio.
