Trott innings swung the day - Haddin

Like everyone at the Gabba, Brad Haddin did not expect England's batting to fold quite so spectacularly as it did on day two of the first Ashes Test. He pointed to Jonathan Trott's fraught innings before lunch and Nathan Lyon's telling two wicket contribution as the keys to Australia's dominant position.

Having figured greatly in the match already himself, making 94 then claiming his 200th dismissal in his 50th Test, Haddin said an indifferent early bowling stint after the team's dismissal for 295 had been turned around by the sight of Trott jumping around the crease and then falling to the unnervingly fast Mitchell Johnson in the over before the interval.

"I think that was a big momentum swing," Haddin said. "We didn't put the ball quite where we liked, we probably just tried too hard, we searched for wickets a little bit at the start, so that was the big wicket leading into the break, and once we came out we got our lengths right and executed our plans. So that was a big momentum swing for us.

"It gives your bowlers a lot of confidence. We've all got plans and England have plans for us. It's no shock to anyone now with all the video analysis and TV, but the thing is you've got to execute them. We've done that now in England and the first Test here, so it's pleasing that it worked again. It's good when a plan comes together and it works, but the bowlers have got to be good enough."

While Trott's departure gave the hosts a decided lift entering the afternoon session, Haddin said it took a word of advice from the pace bowling coach Craig McDermott to ensure the early gains could be followed up in the afternoon. Acting on McDermott's advice, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle bowled an impressively tight spell after the break, leading to the demise of Kevin Pietersen and ushering the havoc that followed.

"It's good to have someone like Mitch in your side, but Nathan Lyon was the one who started it all off today," Haddin said. "I thought we built some good pressure leading up to Nathan Lyon's two big breakthroughs and Mitchell Johnson letting some go. You have to earn the right to have sessions like that and I thought we built the pressure quite well.

"We probably didn't start with the ball the way we would have liked, so Billy told the bowlers in no uncertain terms where he wanted things to be at lunch, and we came back after the break and got our lengths right, which was pleasing to see. Billy has come back into the system leading into this Test. He was pretty good during the break to tell the bowlers where they needed to go. Pitch it up."

Haddin's own contribution has been significant, and he said his first innings 94 was among his best displays, even if a run out while trying to pinch the strike in the morning had scotched his chances of a century. Trott's wicket also brought his 20th Test match dismissal, an important moment for a man who gave up cricket altogether for six months in 2012 to be with his seriously ill daughter.

"That's probably as well as I've played in Test cricket," Haddin said. "I was pretty comfortable yesterday and with Mitch it was a tough period there. You would obviously like three figures but to get in a position we put the team is probably more important than three figures for myself.

"When you get milestones it means you start to get more milestones behind you than you do in front of you. I'm just concentrating on where this game's going. Those sort of stats are well and good once you've given the game away, but it's important now we keep playing the cricket we want over the next three days and get us in the best position we can tomorrow."