Steve Smith will be crowned the hero of an Australian first Test win, with special mentions for Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon, but David Warner and Cameron Bancroft have stepped up to apply the finishing touches at the Gabba.

Australia are on the brink of taking a 1-0 lead in the Ashes series after Australia's new opening combination raced to within 56 runs of the victory line late on Sunday.

A target of 170 had appeared on face value no simple task in the fourth innings but Warner (60 not out) and Bancroft (51 not out) cruised along without drama, seizing on England's attack when James Anderson and Stuart Broad were given a spell.

By the close of play, the hosts were 0-114, well within striking range of sealing a triumph before lunch on Monday.

Barring a collapse of monumental proportions or an all-day downpour in Brisbane - there is a small chance of rain forecast for the city, but nothing major - victory is surely inevitable for Australia.

It should be claimed in comfortable fashion but it wasn't always so straightforward as it seemed as Warner and Bancroft, with his maiden Test half-century, made light of the chase.

"It was a great day for our team," fast bowler Mitchell Starc said. "To finish the way we did with the bat, none down, it's a great feeling. There was a bit of work to do on a wicket that we knew that was going to get a bit quicker.

"To scratch our way to a lead and then come out in the second innings and bowl the way we did ... it's been great for our change room. There's a lot of cricket to go but heading into Adelaide it puts us in a great spot."

England bemoaned the failure of any of their batsmen to make a big score in Brisbane.

"We feel Australia are a good side," said spin-bowling all-rounder Moeen Ali. "But we know we can compete. We're going to have to compete very well in next four games."

Ultimately, Smith's unbeaten 141 in the Australian first innings will go down as the match-winner. He dug Australia out of a hole with the slowest of his 21 Test centuries, but also one of the greatest. Despite their best efforts, England have not been able to find a way to get him out and if they can't it will be difficult for them to get back into this series.

The Australian leader continued a brilliant all-round display with four catches on Sunday and fine captaincy in the field, with everything he touched seemingly turning to gold.

While he was the standout, Smith has not been without support here. Cummins, in his first outing in a Test match on home soil, made significant contributions with bat and ball while Lyon, Australia's spin doctor, backed up his forceful pre-game rhetoric with a masterful display, particularly against England's left-handed batsmen.

The success, meanwhile, of the Australian attack in knocking over the England middle and lower orders with minimal damage was crucial. On Sunday they lost their last four wickets for 10 runs as Starc and Cummins, delivering on predictions of a short-bowling barrage, barrelled them out for 195.

Josh Hazlewood (3-46) wasn't always at his best in Brisbane but any shortcomings he had here were quickly forgotten when a probing full and straight delivery found the a crack and thumped England's main man Joe Root (51) on the knee roll of his front pad before lunch on Sunday, the visiting captain departing in the same mode he had on the first day.

A dangerous partnership between Moeen (40) and Jonny Bairstow (42) then threatened to extend the Australian run chase into very tricky territory.

Enter Lyon, who ripped an off break that beat the bat of Moeen, who was caught out of his ground according to the television umpire Chris Gaffaney when wicketkeeper Tim Paine whipped off the bails. It was a frightfully close call but Moeen did not dispute it on Sunday night.

"If I was bowling I would want it out," said Moeen, who later bowled with a split spinning finger, which he had glued up. "You've got to respect the umpire's call."