Close - Slater onslaught leaves England wilting
The first day of the 2001 Ashes series has been an orgy of runs and wickets, with Australia finishing the day in style on 122 for 1 in reply to England's 294. There was hardly time to catch breath, from Marcus Trescothick's dismissal to the seventh ball of the day, to Michael Atherton's rumbustious half-century, to Shane Warne's magic either side of tea, to Andy Caddick and Alec Stewart's heaven-sent century stand for the last wicket, to Michael Slater's murderous hitting at the end. We've already had 427 runs and 11 wickets, which is almost two days' worth of entertainment. The Ashes really is special.

Australia won the toss, put England in, and when Trescothick nicked his second ball in Ashes cricket, from Jason Gillespie, to first slip, it was 2 for 1. But Atherton and Mark Butcher responded in cavalier fashion, taking advantage of some uncharacteristically insipid Australian fare to reach 106 for with an over to go before lunch. But Shane Warne took a wicket in his first over for the third time in an Ashes series, snaffling the wooden Butcher at silly point, and the floodgates opened.

Atherton followed after lunch, edging Gillespie to slip for 57 (123 for 3), before Glenn McGrath trapped Nasser Hussain leg before for 13 with a ball that nipped back as Hussain offered no stroke (136 for 4). Ian Ward chopped McGrath on for a compact 23 (159 for 5), and when debutant Usman Afzaal lunged forward at Warne, a 1993-style rip-snorter spun through the gate and on to the stumps. With Afzaal out for 4, England were 170 for 6 and in trouble.

Then it got worse. Craig White was given leg before for 4, sweeping at Warne, despite being well down the pitch (174 for 7). And when Warne struck twice in the over after tea, having Ashley Giles caught behind for 7 and Darren Gough caught on the midwicket boundary sweep-slogging for a third-ball duck, England were 191 for 9. Eight wickets for 85 was England's third shocking collapse in consecutive Test innings.

But Andy Caddick, batting with a fractured knuckle in his left hand, played the innings of his life, driving on the up and driving the Australians to distraction. Alec Stewart fed off Caddick's belligerence and 103 amazing runs were added to change the complexion of the game. When Stewart even fell leg before to McGrath for 65, leaving Caddick a Test-best 49 not out, England were back in it.

Now it was Australia's turn to land the counter blow. Slater and Michael Hayden waded out like a couple of heavyweights and weighed in to the England bowling. After one over the score was 18, after five 41, after 11 it was 68, and after 15 it was 98. Wherever England bowled - and they often dropped too short - the bat followed, with Slater in particular playing as if in a trance. He drove the fast bowlers through the covers, used his feet to Ashley Giles, and reached his fifty from just 48 balls. This, remember, is the man who can't make Australia's one-day team.

It took a sensational piece of fielding to end the stand: Hayden, less aesthetic but more of a bully than Slater, tried to flick Giles through midwicket but was stopped in his tracks by Craig White, who dived to his left to pull off a superb one-handed catch. With Hayden out for 35, it was 98 for 1.

Slater continued on his hypnotic way, pulling Gough for four, then cover-driving him with the elegance of a lead violin in a symphony orchestra. Gough should have had him leg before shortly after, but he finally got his reward when Ricky Ponting failed to get a bat on one that cut back in. Replays revealed a huge no-ball, but no-one in the crowd cared.

At 133 for 2 from just 22 overs, Australia trail England by 161. Slater is still there, on 76 from 78 balls, and England will need to get rid of him early if they are to stay in this game.

6.25 - England wilt under Australian assault
Australia's openers continued to take bite-size chunks out of England's 294, racing away to 95 without loss at more than a run a ball. At first England bowled badly, but soon Michael Slater and Matthew Hayden were doing as they pleased, cover-driving on the up and taking singles at will. It was breathtaking stuff and the perfect reply to Alec Stewart and Andy Caddick's rollicking last-wicket stand of 103.

Slater cut and slashed four boundaries in Darren Gough's opening over, while Hayden cut Caddick's first ball straight through Ian Ward's hands at point for four more. They never looked back. Hayden pulled a Caddick no-ball for four more, Slater mirrored him in the same over, and when Hayden pulled Gough for yet another boundary, the 50 was up in the ninth over. Pulsating for Australia, deflating for England.

Hayden edged Caddick just in front of Craig White in the gully, but responded with a clunky off-drive to the boundary. And when White came on to bowl in a Test for the first time since Colombo in March, Hayden greeted him with another meaty cover-drive.

Slater drove consecutive fours off Caddick (through the covers and straight), but then had his first life, pulling Caddick straight to square leg where Usman Afzaal couldn't cling on.

Nasser Hussain tossed the ball to Ashley Giles, who hadn't bowled for England in a Test since Colombo either, but Slater twinkled down the wicket to crash his second ball through extra cover, and repeated the magic next ball, this time finding the cover fence. That took him to a 48-ball fifty, including 11 fours.

When Hayden pulled White for six, Australia had reached 95 for 0 in 14 overs. Whatever Caddick can do, these two can do twice as well.

5.50 - Australia off to a flier
Australia's openers carried on where Alec Stewart and Andy Caddick had left off, taking 22 off the first seven legitimate deliveries in reply to England's 294.

Michael Slater slashed Darren Gough's first delivery, a no-ball, through point for four - conjuring up memories of the 1994-95 series, when Slater dispatched Phil DeFreitas's first ball of the series in similar fashion - before hammering the second ball to the point boundary for four more. A dot ball followed before Slater square drove a decent-length delivery for another boundary.

The next ball was a no-ball, which meant Australia were 14 for 0 after three legitimate deliveries, and Slater made it four boundaries in the over when a thick edge flew to the third-man boundary. Australia 18 for 0 after one over.

Andy Caddick's first ball was short and wide and the left-handed Matthew Hayden launched it in the direction of Ian Ward at point. But the ball went through his hands and away for four. Australia were in danger of overhauling England's total before the close of play.

5.10 - Stewart and Caddick turn the tide
An extraordinary, exhilarating 10th-wicket stand of 103 between Alec Stewart and Andy Caddick lifted England to 294 during a crazy hour after tea on the first day of the first Test. Resuming after the interval on 191 for 7, they lost two wickets in Shane Warne's first over - extending the collapse to 8 for 85 - before Stewart and Caddick took England to an above-par total on a seaming wicket. Caddick, batting with a fractured knuckle, cracked 49 not out., his highest Test score, as he and Stewart shook the crowd out of its despondancy.

Warne began the over after tea with 3 for 36, and finished it with 5 for 38. The second ball was short and wide, and Ashley Giles played the right shot - a cut - but forgot to move his feet. A thin edge was safely held by Adam Gilchrist, who thus held his first chance of the day after missing two in the first session. With Giles out for 7, England were 191 for 8.

Enter Darren Gough. But he behaved like an extra who had strayed onto the wrong stage, sweep-slogging his second ball down the throat of deep midwicket and departing for an embarrassed duck. That was 191 for 9 and Warne had five wickets.

England were facing total humiliation but now Andy Caddick chose the moment to play the best Test innings of an unfulfilled batting career. He leant back to cut his first ball, from Warne, for two, and then faced up to a barrage of short-pitched deliveries from Jason Gillespie, who might just have decided to test Caddick's broken left hand.

One ball flew past Gilchrist's left for four byes, and the next was swatted to the cover boundary to bring up the 200. Stewart smacked Warne through mid-on for four, before Caddick mowed him over midwicket for six.

Gillespie was looking interested now, but Caddick drove him to the cover boundary, cut the next ball through point for four, then thick-edged another boundary, to third man, two balls later. The crowd, stunned into silence between lunch and tea, suddenly roared as if giving the thumbs-up at the Coliseum.

Stewart straight-drove Warne for four, then launched a stinging drive to the cover fence. Gillespie was going round the wicket to Caddick now, and when a no-ball thudded into Caddick's back and away for a leg-bye, England had run up the most unlikely of half-century stands in just 40 balls. Caddick chuckled to himself.

Australia were not amused, and they had even less to laugh about when Stewart's sweep off Warne went straight through Lee's hands at long leg for four to bring up the 250. In the same over Stewart swept for four more, this time needing no help from the fielders. It was heady stuff - maybe Caddick should break his bones more often.

Steve Waugh turned to Glenn McGrath, but Caddick greeted his second delivery with the boldest shot of the day, creaming the ball through the covers on the up as he gave himself room outside leg. Two balls later Caddick's straight drive thudded into the long-on fence. There was more to come. From the final delivery of the over, Stewart moved to his fifty with a hoick over mid-on for four. That made it 13 off the over.

On came Brett Lee, but Caddick square-drove his first ball, a wide, slower one, for three, before Stewart tucked a stray delivery off his pads for three more. And in the same, incredible, over Caddick leant back to cut Lee for four with the flourish of a matador toying with a raging bull.

The hundred partnership came up off only 73 balls when Stewart pulled Lee for another boundary and the crowd rose as one. The fun finally ended when McGrath pinned Stewart leg-before for 65 with one that kept low. McGrath hardly celebrated. The psychological balance of the match had swung in a sensational hour of play, and England were left with an hour to have a go at the Australian top order.

Tea - Australia back in control
If the first session of the 2001 Ashes belonged to England, the second has followed more familiar lines, as Australia picked up five wickets between lunch and tea to leave England in desperate trouble at 191 for 7. Alec Stewart was not out 19, with Ashley Giles still there on 7, but England's pre-lunch euphoria had evaporated in the Edgbaston sun.

Steve Waugh had his two 300-Test-wicket-men to thank: Glenn McGrath recovered from an innocuous spell in the morning to dismiss Nasser Hussain and Ian Ward, while Shane Warne mocked pre-match speculation that he would be a stock bowler, taking two wickets with a combination of turn, bounce, bravado and a little help from the umpire.

England began the session on 106 for 2 and Mike Atherton moved to his half-century by mowing a Warne full-toss over midwicket for four. But he was soon on his way back to the pavilion, steering a ball of extra bounce to second slip where Mark Waugh stuck out a left hand with the nonchalance of a man slipping the waiter a tip. With Atherton out for 57 it was 123 for 3.

That became 136 for 4 when Nasser Hussain, who had already leant back to cut Warne for four, padded up to McGrath and was plumb lbw for 13 as the ball cut back in.

Ian Ward was busy at first, off-driving the outstanding Jason Gillespie for three, then taking 11 off four balls from Warne (two fours through mid-off followed by three through midwicket) to bring up the 150. At this stage, England were still looking good, but when Ward played away from his body once too often against McGrath and watched in horror as an inside edge deflected onto the stumps, it was 159 for 5, with Ward out for 23.

Australia scented blood now, which is when great sides come into their own. Usman Afzaal overreached at a huge-turning legbreak and was bowled through the gate for 4 (170 for 6), before Craig White was given out lbw sweeping, also for 4, despite being a long way down the wicket; the ball might have missed leg stump as well.

Stewart winced at the decision, and promptly straight-drove a Brett Lee no-ball for four, a shot repeated by Ashley Giles in the same over. But these were morsels at the end of a session in which Australia had feasted on a raw England line-up. That mace-like ICC trophy is in safe hands.

Lunch - Warne halts England's counter-attack
It's been an epic morning of Ashes cricket. Attacking fields, attacking batting, and at the end of it a scoreline that few would have predicted: England 106 for 2, after being asked to bat first against the world's most formidable fast-bowling attack. Mike Atherton, as authoritative as he ever has been against Australia, is unbeaten on 47, with Nasser Hussain 0 not out. Mark Butcher fell in the last over before lunch, pushing forward to Shane Warne's second ball and giving Ricky Ponting catching practice at silly point. But it had still been England's morning.

To make matters worse for Australia, two catches were dropped. The first came in the second over, when Butcher nicked Jason Gillespie between Adam Gilchrist and Shane Warne at first slip, when either might have taken the catch. That would have made it 2 for 2, because five balls earlier Marcus Trescothick had begun his Ashes career with a duck, caught at first slip off Jason Gillespie's first ball. It would have exposed Nasser Hussain early to a fired-up attack, and we might even have seen a repeat of the previous first morning here in an Ashes Test, when Australia floundered to 54 for 8 at lunch.

The second spill came from Brett Lee's fifth ball, with the score already 65 in the 11th over. Atherton, who had already pulled Lee's second delivery for four and slashed his fourth over gully for another boundary, edged the next ball to Gilchrist and was as amazed as Lee when the ball popped out. It was all very un-Australian, and England drew strength.

Atherton in particular grew in stature, guiding Lee to third man after the drinks interval, then dead-batting a defensive push to the ropes at long-on. The rate of scoring, more like a one-day game than a Test, upset the Australians, who started bowling no-balls. Atherton then pulled Lee for another boundary - the shot of the morning - and the 100 came up at a-run-a-minute when Atherton turned a Lee no-ball to fine leg for a single.

But with five minutes to go before lunch, on came Warne. Butcher, never at home against spin, edged his first ball along the ground to slip, before pushing with stiff wrists at his second straight to silly point. He was out for 38, after adding 104 with Atherton. Not bad for a man who couldn't get into the Surrey team 10 days ago.

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