AUSTRALIAN tail-enders Brett Lee and Nathan Hauritz fought back against Sussex on day one of the first match of their Ashes tour at Hove.

Australia lost opener Phil Hughes (15) and captain Ricky Ponting (8) early on as they slipped to 114-5.

But Michael Clarke (45) and Brad Haddin (69) launched a recovery before Lee (47 n.o.) and Hauritz (65 n.o.) took the score to 349-7 at the close.

South African seamer Pepler Sandri was the star for Sussex as he took 3-53.

The debutant quickly removed opener Hughes, who became the youngest player in Test history to score a century in both innings of a match when he played against South Africa in March.

Earlier this season Hughes, 20, had a stint at Middlesex which he believes will help him during the Ashes series but the attacking left-hander had his middle stump uprooted after making 15 from 26 deliveries.

Ponting looked in good form as he punched two backfoot strokes to the boundary in front of a sun-baked crowd of nearly 6 000.

But the Australian skipper edged a Luke Wright ball to keeper Andrew Hodd before Simon Katich and Michael Hussey stabilised the innings with a third-wicket stand of 65.

However, Katich then fell to Sandri one short of his half-century and his dismissal prompted the loss of three wickets for one run in the space of ten balls as he was joined in the pavilion by Hussey and Marcus North.

Australia were struggling at 114-5 but Clarke and Haddin doubled that score as they brought some resilience to the middle order.

Haddin was in attacking mood and hit three sixes and seven fours in his 69 before holing out to Sandri off Ollie Rayner’s bowling.

Rayner followed up the wicket by snaring Clarke caught and bowled as the Aussies again stuttered at 232-7.

But paceman Lee and spinner Hauritz gave some late authority to the Aussie innings with two fine innings.

Hauritz reached his 50 first and hit 12 fours as he reached a belligerent 65 by the close, while Lee struck a six and five fours to reach 47 in an unbroken stand of 117. (BBC Sport)