Johnson pushes case for Test spot

Queensland 1 for 66 (Hayden 30*, Love 9*) trail Western Australia 208 (Rogers 55, Johnson 4-56, Symonds 3-18) by 142 runs
Scorecard

Mitchell Johnson pressed his claims for a place in the opening Ashes Test with 4 for 56 as a Western Australia team crammed with international batting fell for 208 on the opening day of their Pura Cup meeting against Queensland at the WACA. Andrew Symonds chipped in with three cheap scalps before Queensland consolidated their position by reaching 1 for 66 at stumps.

Four of the Western Australia's top six - Justin Langer, Michael Hussey, Damien Martyn and Adam Gilchrist - will line up against England at the Gabba but none could reach fifty as Queensland's Test stars held the upper hand. Johnson's burst followed Shaun Tait's three wickets against England for the Prime Minister's XI and showed Australia's fast-bowling reserves are finding form at the right time.

Although Langer was an early casualty to Andy Bichel, the Warriors were comfortably placed on 2 for 101 at lunch with Chris Rogers striking a half century. However, shortly after the interval Johnson and Symonds swung the day towards the Bulls as eight wickets fell for 94. Hussey edged a catch to Chris Hartley behind the stumps - one of five for the innings - before the keeper also collected nivks off Gilchrist and Marcus North as Symonds weighed in.

Johnson then clung onto a return catch to remove Martyn before helping to mop up the tail with the strikes of Brett Dorey and Steve Magoffin. Although Shane Watson went wicketless his economical spells - at one point containing five consecutive maidens - were key to Queensland maintaining the pressure. Jimmy Maher and Matthew Hayden handed the Bulls a confident opening to their reply before Magoffin struck back by trapping Maher lbw.