After months of talk, interviews, podcasts and articles, the most hotly anticipated Ashes series for a generation got under way at 11am at Edgbaston.
There was no better setting: the Hollies Stand was just getting warmed up, the pitch looked dry and batting-friendly, and England had won the toss.
It lived up to every bit of Bazball-themed anticipation when under-pressure Zak Crawley creamed the first ball from Australian quick Pat Cummins to the boundary. If the first ball of an Ashes sets the tone for the rest of the summer... Either way, the Ashes had started.
The rest of the day had moments of brilliance, bewilderment, and one of the most bizarre wickets seen for a long time for Harry Brook’s dismissal, but there were notes of familiarity with Joe Root’s stunning unbeaten 118 leading England to a rogue declaration at 393-8
For a side that enjoys breaking records, Ben Stokes’s declaration after 78 overs was the earliest ever in an opening innings of an Ashes Test, and Australia closed out an entertaining first day without having lost a wicket on 14-0, trailing England’s first innings total by 379.
There were times when it felt like Root could only have dreamed about coming in to bat with England 92-2, but his chanceless 118 was up there with the best of them.
It looked like a thrilling contest, Root had been out eight times to both Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, but he showed his class and found every gap in the field offered by the defensive Australian field placements.
The strike rate of 77.63 might suggest a typical Root innings, but it was not without flair.
The former England captain reverse-scooped Scott Boland for six just after the tea break, the first maximum of the match, and played a ramp shot, also for six, off Cummins just over an hour later as he edged towards his century.
“It’s brilliant. It’s really special,” Root’s teammate Jonny Bairstow said. “As someone who’s known him for such a long time, been through thick and thing, ups and downs and experienced lots of things together.
“It’s an absolute pleasure to be there and at the other end with him, because he is a fantastic player. He’s a fantastic talent, he’s probably got another 10 years in the game. He’ll be after 25,000 runs or something stupid – age 55 and he’s still playing.
“But that’s exactly what it is, he’s someone that loves batting, he loves being out there, he loves the occasion and he loves representing his country. He’s been fortunate enough to captain his country and held his head so high doing so through possibly the hardest time that we’ve had to deal with through Covid. He’s really reaping the rewards coming out the other end with it.
“There’s some special things and special traits that he’s got and it’s hopefully the first of a few this summer.”
In a 121-run partnership with Bairstow, the Yorkshiremen made batting look as easy as the dry and brown pitch would suggest it should be.
In his first international innings since a horrific leg break in September last year while playing golf, Bairstow looked to have rediscovered the form which saw him win the Wisden Trophy for finest performance in a Test for his actions last summer.
He scored a run-a-ball 78, before being stumped by Alex Carey coming down the wicket to Nathan Lyon, who was the most expensive of the Australian bowlers, but also the most prolific taking 4-149.
However, in the conditions and lack of seam movement, England’s score could be considered under-par, and despite Crawley’s edge behind and Brook’s almost-freak dismissal, the batters could not consider themselves unlucky.
Brook was out bowled in the scorecard, to a delivery from Lyon that bounced into the thigh pad, over him onto his back and fell almost onto the stumps, with the fielders shouting “catch it”, to leave England 175-4, after his 32.
Stokes’s innings was not one for the highlight reel. He tried to reverse-sweep the ball while on a golden duck, gloving it into the ground and was caught behind for one going for a booming drive outside the off stump.
Ollie Pope was out lbw after a successful Australia review, while Ben Duckett was caught behind flashing at a wide delivery outside the off stump.
England showed every bit of the intent they had been insisting on for months, and did not alter their approach in the slightest against the Australians.
It certainly put Cummins’s men on the back foot at times, and their defensive field placings allowed the runs to trickle through, but there is the inescapable feeling that there were more runs to be had. Australia will get the chance to test that theory on what promises to be a fascinating day two.
