Two wickets from Josh Hazlewood and almost nine hours of game-changing graft from unbeaten centurion Steve Smith have Australia on top in the Ashes opener.
Unless you ask Stuart Broad.
Captain Joe Root weathered a bouncer blow to the helmet from Mitchell Starc to help England reach 2-33 at stumps on day three of the first Test in Brisbane.
The visitors hold a seven-run lead, enough for Broad to claim a moral victory as his team seek to inflict Australia's first Test loss at the Gabba since 1988.
"After three days we're probably the best placed England side for 30 years aren't we? If we have a good day tomorrow, we set ourselves up," Broad said after taking three wickets.
"Day three and day four will be the best times to bat on this pitch. That's good signs for us, it's in our hands a little bit.
"If someone plays Steve Smith knock, gets the bowlers into their third and fourth spells tomorrow then we're in the driving seat."
Broad's confidence wasn't diminished by the Hazlewood's dismissal of Alastair Cook (7) and James Vince (2) in his opening spell.
Root will resume on five as he bids to better the composure and concentration his counterpart demonstrated in a knock of 141 not out.
"We're in a reasonable position. It would have been nice to get one more wicket," Smith said.
Smith fashioned a total of 328 and a first-innings lead of 26 runs, digging in early then willing a wagging tail to add 119 for the final three wickets.
"We didn't let him (Smith) really get away from us at any stage," Broad claimed.
Australia slipped to 4-76 on day two, then 7-209 early on day three, threatening to collapse into ignominy yet again.
Pat Cummins impressed in a knock of 42, while England bowlers Moeen Ali and Jimmy Anderson both appeared restricted by niggles.
Smith was summoned to the middle on Friday after only 10.3 overs and didn't offer a single chance, even though he adopted a more-aggressive approach in the final stages of Australia's innings that spanned 130.3 overs.
The gifted batsman, who reacted with typical ferver to every wide, wicket, boundary and blunder, has attracted comparisons to Allan Border in the past because of his negative body language.
The ongoing match has offered more-positive parallels. Smith carried the run-scoring burden without blinking, blunting an on-song attack to reach three figures after 261 deliveries.
The milestone, every bit as resolute as Border's 273-ball ton in 1987, was celebrated with a flurry of emotions. Smith roared as he beat the coat of arms on his chest, demanding his teammates in the stands to step up.
Root often asked his quicks to bowl short to him. He tinkered with fields like a crazed professor but couldn't come up with the formula to conjure the elusive and all-important wicket.
