91Èȱ¬

Steven Finn
Former England bowler on 91Èȱ¬ Test Match Special

The majority of the dismissals - Hameed, Malan, Root, Stokes, Buttler - were good balls. You could look at them and say they are mighty fine deliveries and that is why you have to give the Australians credit for the relentless way they bowled.

It is incredibly impressive that they've just picked that up after 11 months of not doing it and they've just found that length.

There were no loose shots or wild swishes that got caught somewhere strange. There wasn't a big loose drive or shot until the bottom of the order, the rest you have to say "well done, good bowling".

One of our texters, Will (see 5:50 GMT), said it best: "It's like waking up on Christmas morning and discovering that whilst Santa's has been, he's actually burgled your house and taken the decorations down."

England have been bundled out for 147 on day one of the Ashes in Brisbane.

To make matters worse they did so after winning the toss and choosing to bat.

Rory Burns was bowled with the very first ball of the series and Joe Root followed soon after for a duck. England were 29-4 when Ben Stokes was out and only scraped to their score thanks to Jos Buttler's 39, plus 35 from Ollie Pope.

We've had a big afternoon storm which has prevented the Australia innings starting. The clean-up operation is under way but the groundstaff are in a race against time.

Geoff Lemon
Australian journalist at the Gabba

The groundstaff at the Gabba are packing away the covers now. The radar is clear for a while. It's fairly gloomy here, and the floodlights are on. But at this rate we should get a bit more play before the elements intervene.

There's going to be another inspection of the wet outfield at 6:35 GMT.

A reminder we need to be playing by 7:00 and if they do get out there we could play until 8:00.

Australia captain Pat Cummins on BT Sport: "It’s pretty crazy. It’s all gone to plan so far today. I’m proud of all the guys. We stayed really composed.

"I was probably going to have a bat, but I wasn’t upset to lose the toss. It was 50-50.

"I’m glad we made inroads early. It’s a good wicket and we have to make the most of it."

Some more dark clouds have rolled in. The umpires aren't looking particularly keen on getting some more play in.

91Èȱ¬ cricket correspondent on 91Èȱ¬ Test Match Special

It wouldn't have been logical to bowl first after picking the spinner. They definitely wanted Jack Leach in their side and that meant their hands were tied.

It hasn't done that much, at least sideways. There has been bounce as you'd expect at the Gabba, but where Australia have been excellent they have just bowled that immaculate full length.

Most of England's batters got out by pushing and probing at full length deliveries and getting caught behind.

The covers are indeed coming off. There's still a chance of more play today. They have had a horrible first day but that would suit England.

They'll want to get bowling in these conditions.

91Èȱ¬ cricket correspondent on 91Èȱ¬ Test Match Special

I was very surprised by England's team. I found it quite hard to believe - a really difficult decision to work out.

You lost James Anderson, although he was fit to play we're told, but you can understand why with Adelaide next week you wouldn't want to risk him.

Broad is fit and he's absolutely got the sign of this top order. If you go through the figures of 2019, he took 13 wickets for 94 against the top order, not only do the Australian top order know it, Broad knows it as well. England have chosen not to go into the first Test with 1,150 wickets between them and I find it difficult to understand the Broad decision. What will have Australia thought when they saw he wasn't playing?

Image source, Getty Images

It seems the rain has stopped in Brisbane. The groundstaff have just under an hour to dry this sodden outfield.

Phil Tufnell
Former England spinner on 91Èȱ¬ Test Match Special

We're all talking about the pink-ball games but the one thing that England will have wanted is to come to an Australian ground and see the pitch covered in green grass and massive clouds overhead but they decided to bat. I can't quite understand it.

Australia's bowlers are professional and high-class. What they can do is run up and hit the top of off stump. All they really had to do was run up and execute the biggest and simple skill they've got in their bowling armoury, which is hitting a good length outside off stump.

Australia were enabled I'm afraid by England deciding to have a bat. I couldn't quite believe that, I'm sorry.

Simon Mann
91Èȱ¬ Test Match Special

England would love to get out there, as long as they can bowl with a dry ball. The lights would be on and it would be overcast and they might be able to make some inroads and they really do need to drag back an awful start.

Turn over and go back to sleep. This is not going to make pleasant reading if you're an England fan.

Joe Root's men have crumbled on day one of the Ashes series. Having elected to bat, they lost Rory Burns - bowled by Mitchell Starc - to the very first ball of the day and have been bowled out for 147.

Joe Root was out for a duck and Ben Stokes five. Only Jos Buttler (39) and Ollie Pope (35) come out of the day with any sort of credit.

It has been a damaging, deflating day for England's Ashes hopes at the very start. Australia, meanwhile, were brilliant and their new captain Pat Cummins began his reign with a five-wicket haul.

The players have been off the field since 4:40am because of heavy rain which arrived shortly after the end of England's innings. It looks unlikely there'll be any more play.

Elliot Newstead: On the plus side, that's 52 runs more than I thought I'd wake up to see we'd made.

We have an umpire with an umbrella on the outfield. I think it's still raining, although nowhere near as heavy as it was earlier.

They have to be on the field by 7:00 GMT so, given how wet the outfield is, that is looking unlikely.

Some England fans are still sound asleep. I don't know if I'm jealous that they don't know or if I pity them for the shock that's about to come.

Will James: It's like waking up on Christmas morning and discovering that whilst Santa's has been, he's actually burgled your house and taken the decorations down.

It's all smiles in the Aussie dressing room as the rain continues to fall. Pat Cummins and Steve Smith are watching something on the TV and grinning. I wonder if it's some of those England dismissals.

Phil Tufnell
Former England spinner on 91Èȱ¬ Test Match Special

There were some good balls bowled - Haseeb Hameed got a belter and Jos Buttler nicked off one going across him - but it just seemed that there was no stress in Australia's performance.

It was just "go out there and we know what will happen". Joe Root's wicket was a huge wicket for them.

It just felt too easy for Australia, but it isn't a huge surprise because we know how good their bowlers are.

It's, erm, raining. A lot.

Image source, Getty Images