England were today on course for another Ashes humiliation after being dismissed for a lowly 185 on the world's fastest pitch just after tea on the opening day of the third Test.

Despite captain Nasser Hussain winning the toss for the third time in the series and deciding to bat first, the tourists were humbled against Australia's battery of pace bowlers inside only 64.2 overs.

With a succession of poor shots and a crucial mix-up over a run-out, England handed the advantage to their powerful opponents once again with only Kent batsman Robert Key showing anything like the temperament to survive. He top-scored with a determined 47.

Dismissed for one in each innings of the second Test defeat in Adelaide after being thrust into the side as a late replacement for the injured John Crawley, Key demonstrated superb technique during his 136-minute innings, only to fall to the final ball before tea from part-time seamer Damien Martyn.

England's innings had been given a solid start by openers Marcus Trescothick and Michael Vaughan, who survived fiery opening spells from Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie and had begun to demonstrate their range of strokeplay when Brett Lee marked his return to international cricket with the first of three wickets.

Somerset left-hander Trescothick had cut Lee for two boundaries in his first over as he struggled to find his range, but paid the price for his attacking policy when he edged behind trying to push off the back foot for an aggressive 34 off 44 balls and begin a slide of three wickets for 36 runs in eight overs.

Mark Butcher was next to fall, six overs later, when Vaughan pushed Lee onto the off side and set off for a quick single but quickly stopped when he saw Steve Waugh running around from cover to pick up. His direct throw left the Surrey left-hander a couple of yards out of his ground at the non-striker's end.

Lee struck again in his next over, but this time needed the help of a contentious decision from umpire Steve Bucknor, who adjudged that Hussain had edged behind attempting an extravagant pull shot only for television replays to indicate the ball had brushed the England captain's shoulder and not his bat.

Vaughan's 140 minutes of defiance ended 13 overs after lunch when he temporarily lost concentration and attempted to pull a full-length delivery from McGrath and got an outside edge which was well collected by Gilchrist again.

Alec Stewart and Craig White both fell to McGrath, edging behind the wicket, while Tudor edged Shane Warne to slip after withstanding a hostile spell of bowling from Lee.

With tea only minutes away, Waugh brought on the part-time seam bowling of Martyn to complete the session only to get an unexpected bonus when Key got an inside edge onto his stumps for 47.

Just as England contemplated the end of their innings, though, the last two wickets added 29 runs with Richard Dawson following up his impressive display in Adelaide with an unbeaten 19 before Gillespie claimed the last two wickets to complete England's capitulation.