Root slashes over the cordon for four then nudges a single out to deep-backward point and that is fifty for the Yorkshireman. With England five down, you sense the hopes of a strong first-innings total here rest on the 32-year-old’s shoulders. He also has a point to prove in the Ashes — his most-recent Test century against Australia came back in August 2015. England are 201 for five.
Owen Slot, Chief Sports Writer: I’ve been fascinated by two things today. One is how long it takes to get a pint at the bar behind the Hollies Stand. That’s not an observation on the speed of service, by the way, because there’s no shortage of taps and pourers. It’s on the thirsty numbers who want a refill. The other is on the first ball of the day when Zak Crawley drove Pat Cummins for four. After all the anticipation, what a moment that was.
So I was asking blokes (are there only blokes here?) in the beer queue how much they enjoyed that first ball and, by and large, of course, they loved it. Then I met Mike, in a Fred Flintstone costume, and he didn’t know what I was referring to.
“The first ball?” he said. “I was queuing at the bar. Why? What happened?”
And now Stokes is gone for one and England are in trouble at 176 for five. Josh Hazlewood angles the ball across the left-hander, Stokes attempts a big drive, but the ball feathers off the edge through to Carey behind the stumps. Australia are on top — Jonny Bairstow, the star of last summer, arrives at the crease.
Steve James: It was the length that did for Ben Stokes there. It is fair enough driving at width but, if you are still finding your way at the start of your innings, driving at good-length balls can be very dangerous.
Stokes edges Hazlewood through to Carey
GRAHAM HUNT/REX FEATURES
Brook has looked really settled but he now departs to Lyon, bowled in the most unfortunate of circumstances. Lyon gets some extra bounce, the ball deflects off Brook’s thigh pad and loops into the air. None of the fielders, nor Brook, no where it is, but it drops into the footmarks and trickles on to the stumps.
Steve James: Always watch the ball! Harry Brook was more concerned about showing everyone that he had got his hands and bat out of the way so that the ball had not hit either on the way up off his pad, and did not realise where that said ball had gone, spinning back on to the stumps. Unlucky, yes, but could easily have been avoided had he watched the ball.
The Yorkshire duo, Brook and Root, reach their fifty partnership before Brook moves on to 32 from 36 balls. Before the series began, Steve James spoke to the people who guided the 24-year-old to the top and discovered that the hard yards were done by the youngster himself.
● Read in full: How Harry Brook turned himself into a star before Ashes debut
England built steadily in the immediate overs after lunch, chipping away at the bowling of Boland and Lyon, but Brook has now started to put his foot down. The Yorkshireman vowed to take on Lyon in his press conference earlier this week and that intent was reflected by him coming down the track and smashing the spinner over extra cover for four. A late cut down to the third-man boundary followed by a heave over extra cover off Boland took England to 158 for three, but the Yorkshireman was then dropped by Travis Head, top-edging when trying to hit a third boundary in four balls. A hard, diving chance, but he’d done the hard work in making up the ground and really should have taken the catch. Brook is unbeaten on 25, Root is on 28.
Head drops Brook on 24
SKY SPORTS
Steve James: When I spoke to Andy Flower last winter about Harry Brook, with whom he had worked in the England Lions set-up, one of the first things he said he liked about him was that he hit spin over extra cover. So, no surprise that Brook did that immediately to Nathan Lyon here. No surprise either that he ran down the pitch to Scott Boland and thrashed him over extra cover. It was a surprise, though, to Brook that the next ball was a wide bouncer that Travis Head might have caught out at deep-backward point. Expect some more short stuff to Brook later.
The Edgbaston crowd mocked Head after he made another fielding error a few balls later
PAUL CHILDS/REUTERS
Brook joins Root at the crease and gets off the mark immediately to take to England 125 for three. Stokes’s side lived up to the hype in scoring at about five runs an over this morning, but that Crawley wicket on the stroke of lunch makes it honours even going into what will be a fascinating afternoon session.
Steve James: It was certainly a morning that lived up to the hype. It was an utterly fascinating session, not least because Australia said that they would not change anything for “Bazball”, and yet they seemed to change everything, going so defensive with their fields right from the start. England could score quickly without taking too many risks, but, with Zak Crawley falling just before the break, Australia will feel that three wickets represents a good morning on such a flat pitch.
The prime minister Rishi Sunak watches Crawley hit the first ball of the series for four
Simon Wilde: The wicket of Zak Crawley for 61 right on the stroke of lunch swings the honours in that session back to even. England were scoring at almost five runs an over and had played some smart cricket in response to a surprisingly defensive start from Australia, who put several men on the rope in a bid to dry up the boundaries and made six bowling changes.
Scott Boland produced a fine delivery but Crawley could probably have left that ball alone so close to lunch. Like Crawley, Ollie Pope got a start but did not capitalize. The pitch is benign and there is no reason why England should not be scoring 400-500, but Australia might calculate that if they stay patient, the batsmen will find ways to get themselves out.
Here’s what our team will be enjoying for lunch at Edgbaston
ELIZABETH AMMON
Crawley has batted exceptionally for 61, but Boland gets one to leap off the pitch on the stroke of lunch and the Kent opener is sent packing after it clips his glove on the way through to Carey. Australia will be delighted to have taken three wickets on what seems an extremely flat pitch, but it remains a strong session for England despite the losses of Duckett, Pope and Crawley. Joe Root and Harry Brook will resume after lunch.
Thirsty business at Edgbaston
Elizabeth Ammon: The midday sun is baking down on Birmingham and I’ve just ventured for a wander round the concourse. It’s thirsty business watching cricket in this weather and the queues for the bars are enormous.
It’s business as usual in the Hollies Stand where there’s an array of fancy dress — some of which looks like an unwise choice in this heat.
Elizabeth Ammon bumped into some butchers on her walk around the ground
At the Birmingham End of the ground, there is the “Birmingham Beach” — where there is a big screen and deckchairs (which will be very popular with those who want an afternoon snooze). So far no Sweet Caroline rendition — but there’s time . . .
Lyon continues, Pope is trapped in front, the Australians are convinced that they have their man, but it is given not out. Cummins reviews and the decision is overturned, with the ball straightening on the angle and crashing into leg stump. At the other end, Crawley moves to 50. Joe Root is at the crease. England are 94 for two.
Steve James: Ollie Pope will be so disappointed with himself there. He had played so well, with the ball before a perfect example as he had driven Nathan Lyon majestically through mid-off for four, but that was a tame dismissal, trying to turn the ball too square on the leg side. It was a good review from Australia because it might easily have pitched outside leg stump, but it hadn’t and just straightened enough to be hitting the stumps.
Matt Roller from ESPNcricinfo identifies that there have been 60 dot balls and 44 singles in the first 20 overs at Edgbaston. From 2001 to 2022, there had never previously been fewer than 80 dots, or more than 20 singles, in the first 20 overs of a Test in England. Speaking on Sky Sports, Eoin Morgan says: “I’ve been shocked in many ways at how defensive they’ve been with the fields that they’ve set.”
England have reached 84 for one, and Australia will be even more frustrated given they had Crawley caught behind on 42, but did not appeal.
Steve James: Remarkable that Australia did not appeal for that against Crawley on 40. The field had been changed to block the off side and so Crawley came down the pitch to Scott Boland and looked to whip through the leg side. The ball actually kicked off the pitch and left him, and replays showed afterwards that he had got a small edge. No wonder there was a wry smile on Crawley’s face afterwards.
Replays showed that Crawley edged Boland through to Carey . . .
. . . little wonder then that Crawley gave a wry smile after
Drinks: Crawley won’t want to waste this start
Crawley smashes Boland for four through mid-off and that is drinks.
Simon Wilde: The first hour ends, and everyone takes a drink and a deep breath. It’s been fascinating stuff, real cat-and-mouse between the batsmen and the Australians, whose fields have been shifting almost by the ball, with Pat Cummins and Steve Smith in turn pulling the strings. It’s not often you see Australia with four men on the rope in the first hour of a Test match.
Audaciously, England’s batsmen have been sashaying down the wicket — at least they did until Alex Carey started standing up to the stumps to Scott Boland. Australia might congratulate themselves on limiting England to eight boundaries in 13 overs, but England are ticking over more than five runs an over. And another novelty: we have yet to see a bouncer. That’s how slow the pitch is.
Crawley smashes Lyon through wide mid-off for four
MIKE EGERTON/PA
Steve James: Zak Crawley could not have made a better start. There were a couple of hairy moments — an edge off Pat Cummins that dropped short of second slip and an inside edge off Nathan Lyon that could easily have found itself in Alex Carey’s gloves, or stuck between his pads, but otherwise he has played superbly, with his driving through extra cover and wide mid-off an absolute delight. He will not want to waste this start now . . .
Elizabeth Ammon We were promised it was going to be fun, and fun it has been. England playing exactly to brand (which includes Ben Duckett having an absolute aversion to leaving the ball).
I find the decision to leave out Mitchell Starc absolutely bizarre, not least because it looks like a long tail but they’ve clearly got a plan, funky fields and relying on Hazlewood to get through plenty of overs. Nathan Lyon on early is a lesson to all captains about how you skipper spinners: too often they aren’t brought on early enough and spin bowling is a confidence game. Stokes has done exactly the same with Jack Leach. They need to have a word with one or two county captains.
The ground is absolutely buzzing, it’s baking hot and my prediction away from the middle is that we’ll see one or two worse-for-wear spectators in the Hollies within an hour or two.
Lyon was brought on to bowl after only nine overs
GEOFF CADDICK/GETTY IMAGES
Crawley and Ollie Pope have taken England to 40 for one after nine overs and sensing the need to make a breakthrough, Cummins brings Nathan Lyon on to bowl, after less than 45 minutes. Australia have four fielders on the boundary, Pope and Crawley exchange a reverse sweep for a single each, before the latter crashes the spinner for four through mid-off. England are 47 for one after ten overs.
Steve James relayed his concern about Ben Duckett’s reluctance to leave outside off overnight, and the Nottinghamshire opener is back in the pavilion early on after wafting at a wide one and edging through to Alex Carey behind the stumps. Going into this Test the left-hander, who almost chopped on the ball before, had left only 1.1 per cent of all balls faced in Test cricket since his recall last year. It’s 22 for one.
Hazlewood celebrates dismissing Duckett
RYAN PIERSE/GETTY IMAGES
Steve James: It was highlighted before this game but Ben Duckett really needs to learn to leave more balls in Test cricket. Had the warning the ball before and did not heed it . . .
Crawley smashes first ball for four
The urn is carried on to the field by Sir Alastair Cook, the teams sing the anthems, and Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley make their way out to the middle. Pat Cummins has the Dukes ball in hand. Here we go . . .
. . . and Crawley crunches the first ball straight through the covers for four. What a shot, driving Cummins on the up. The Kent opener picks up a single and Ben Duckett keeps out the final ball of the over — England are five without loss.
Steve James: Some interesting fields from Australia here. A deep backward point for Ben Duckett is a great idea but not so much for Zak Crawley, who doesn’t really hit the ball there. Through the off side he hits it more to cover, as he did so gloriously with the first ball of the match.
Ticketing issues at Edgbaston
Owen Slot, Chief Sports Writer: There’s barely ten minutes to the start and Edgbaston is looking half empty. That is definitely not a lack of interest. It’s because the queues outside are moving so slowly and many have found that their ticket app hasn’t worked.
The first ball in the Ashes is a real piece of theatre. How sad that it looks as though many will miss it. There are some already in the Hollies Stand who will miss the start. But that’s because they are stuck in the beer queue. Each to their own.
Elizabeth Ammon: Some delays were expected due to added security due to the risk of protests. One of the most impeccably observed minutes of silence I have observed for the Nottingham victims was followed by national anthems sung by a group of local BSL choir singers.
The coin goes up, Pat Cummins calls tails, but it is a head — England have won the toss and elected to bat, to the delight of the Edgbaston crowd. Cummins confirms that Starc misses out with Boland selected ahead of him. England confirmed their XI on Thursday, with Stuart Broad picked over Mark Wood and Moeen Ali playing his first Test in two years after coming out of retirement.
Cummins, right, said he also would have chosen to bat after Stokes won the toss
GETTY IMAGES
Simon Wilde: Ben Stokes has won the toss and — unsurprisingly given the look of the pitch — has elected to bat. This is only the third time he has opted to bat after winning the toss as official captain and the two previous instances came in Pakistan during the winter. Before this, whenever he had won the toss in a home Test since June 2022, as he had four times, he bowled. But it was a no-brainer this time. So far, whether choosing to bat or bowl first, he has won the match every time.
Steve James: Looks a really good toss to win that for England. Pitch looks excellent but am really surprised that Mitchell Starc has been left out. I would always want him in my side.
ENGLAND Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson.
AUSTRALIA David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (capt), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland.
Fixtures
First Test Today-June 20, Edgbaston
Second Test June 28-July 2, Lord’s
Third Test July 6-10, Headingley
Fourth Test July 19-23, Old Trafford
Fifth Test July 27-31, the Oval
There is no sign of Mitchell Starc on the Edgbaston outfield, with Scott Boland and Josh Hazlewood marking up their run-ups. If Starc is not playing, as appears to be the case, it would be a major surprise and suggests that concerns that he might leak runs has overridden other factors. Since the last Ashes in England in 2019 he has played more Tests than any other Australian fast bowler (26 out of 29). He provides a left-arm angle and offers swing. He bowls wicket-taking balls (ask Rory Burns) and creates rough for Nathan Lyon to bowl into. He bats better than the other tailenders.
Some predictions . . .
Simon Wilde: I’m pretty sure someone’s going to win 3-2; I fear it is more likely to be Australia.
Steve James: My previous prediction was 2-2, just like 2019, but I was expecting some rain for the one draw. That doesn’t look too likely and also, having seen Australia thrash India, I’m seriously worried about England’s chances. 4-1 to Australia I’m afraid!
Ricky Ponting: “I had a meeting with Shane [Warne] two days before the first Test match in 2005, because I was worried that he might not be able to concentrate and he might have needed to return home, and he just brushed me off straight away and said, ‘Don’t worry about it, I’ll deal with this stuff off the field and when it comes time to play, I’ll make sure I’m ready.’ And he certainly did that.
Ponting is hit by a bouncer from Steve Harmison during the fiery opening exchanges of the 2005 Ashes
RICHARD PELHAM/NEWS GROUP NEWSPAPERS LTD
“That particular series has got a bit of a feel about this one, to be honest, with maybe the importance of it and what that series ended up doing for Test cricket. I really think 2005 reinvigorated the Test game around the world.”
● Read in full: ‘The 2005 Ashes reinvigorated Test cricket – this series has same feel’
‘Australia the last refuge of Bazball sceptic’
Gideon Haigh: “England’s commitment is that the attack comes in waves rather than spasms; it does not hold back, it does not wait its turn. But it has been intriguing to watch their Ashes rival assimilate this new dash of the old enemy over the past year, in which Ben Stokes’s Englishmen have carried all before them on the Test field. For Australia remains the last refuge of the Bazball sceptic.”
● Read in full: Australia sense England have fallen for ‘cryptocricket’
Mike Atherton’s preview
Mike Atherton, Chief Cricket Correspondent: “The players will arrive at Edgbaston this morning feeling a combination of excitement, nerves, and, despite everything, a little fear — some recognising this as a last chance to enter Ashes folklore, others venturing into the unknown. Ashes cricket has always been hotly contested, no quarter given nor asked for, and that much will not change this week. We surely wouldn’t want it any other way. To quote Rob Key 12 months ago: it is time to buckle up and get ready for the ride.”
● Read in full: Stars align to pit English revelry against Australia’s timeless truths
Hobart, Australia. January 16, 2022. The relentless Australian captain Pat Cummins steams in and bowls Ollie Robinson for a golden duck, consigning England to a humiliating 4-0 Ashes defeat after the sixth-shortest Test match since 1910. The misery continued. Two months later Joe Root’s side lost their three-match series in the West Indies, leaving England on an embarrassing run of only one win in 17 Test matches.
Cummins and Australia celebrate winning the 2021-22 Ashes down under
WILLIAM WEST/GETTY IMAGES
How different the picture is 15 months on. Under the positive attacking mindset instilled by the new head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, this rejuvenated England side are now on a run of 11 wins from 13, with “Bazball” capturing the heart and minds of the nation. Among the highlights are a series whitewash against New Zealand, a spectacular run chase of 377 against India at Headingley, and a clean sweep away to Pakistan — the first by any nation.
Stokes, left, and McCullum masterminded England’s 3-0 away whitewash of Pakistan in December
MATTHEW LEWIS/GETTY IMAGES
However, Australia — the world Test champions — will represent their sternest test yet. So good morning, hello and welcome to day one of the most eagerly anticipated Ashes series for a generation. We are now less than two hours away from the start of play in the first Test at Edgbaston, where England will begin their quest to regain the urn after its six years in Australian hands.
We will have live coverage throughout the series, with Mike Atherton, Simon Wilde, Steve James and Elizabeth Ammon providing their insight and analysis from each of the five grounds. As ever, it is worth encouraging you to make sure your app is fully updated to get the most out of The Times’ live blog. Not long to go now . . .