Ian Bell warmed up for the Ashes with his best first-class score in two years, while Australia's batting plans for the Gabba Test became much clearer after Usman Khawaja and Callum Ferguson failed again. The two young batsmen are in Australia's 17-man Test squad but they are now unlikely to unseat Michael Hussey, who made a career-saving Sheffield Shield century at the MCG.

The first Test begins next Thursday and the Australian selectors will be pleased with the efforts of Hussey and Mitchell Johnson, who in the same match added a five-wicket haul to his first-innings hundred. The major question now surrounds the spin-bowling position, after Nathan Hauritz sent down only one over in New South Wales' loss as the SCG, where Tasmania's Xavier Doherty bowled tidily.

Australia A 230 and 3 for 128 (Hughes 58, Bresnan 3-25) trail England XI 523 (Bell 192, Collingwood 89, Cook 60, O'Keefe 4-88) by 165 runs.

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