All of The Ashes hype has come to fruition, with both sides furiously going at each other in the first session. But it is advantage Australia with the late wicket of Pope nullifying the 50-run partnership he put on with Harry Brook.

Will England continue to live by the sword with the Bazball approach? Brook has had a couple of lucky escapes already.

But the pitch is settling, there is little turn or swing, and there are plenty of runs to be had – if the English batsman are good enough.

The depleted Aussie attack is showing fragility, with Boland delivering his worst performance in international cricket to date and debutant Brendan Doggett struggling for impact as well.

Of course the story of the morning is Starc, who has been a dominant figure for the Australians. But he can’t get the job done on his own.

Daily Mail’s Richard Gibson:

At lunch, England have lost two wickets than they would have liked, after winning the toss, and there have been frenetic moments since Pope’s dismissal.

England had scored off 10 consecutive deliveries, prior to Green winning a borderline LBW decision on review, and their desire to disrupt opponents by opting for the unorthodox showed itself in Harry Brook charging the excellent Mitchell Starc when he returned for his second spell.