After rain, anthems, runs, wickets and not much sledging, the battle for the smallest trophy in cricket is under way.
Have England made the most of their first dig on this Cardiff wicket, or have Australia already done enough damage to hold the upper hand? Tomorrow could have the answers, so join us then.
Post update
And I think that's where we'll leave it, ending the first day of this 2015 Ashes series.
'Hopefully we can score 400-plus'
England batsman Joe Root: "I'm happy to be in the position we are in as team. Hopefully we can kick on in the morning. The longer we can keep them out there, the better it is for us.
"Moeen and Broady are both very capable of scoring big scores - hopefully tomorrow is one of those days where they take it to them and we score 400-plus."
Player's view
AFPCopyright: AFP
Australia seamer Josh Hazlewood, who took 3-70 from 22 overs, on Sky Sports: "The game is fairly level at this stage. Hopefully we can clean them up in the morning.
"We were good in patches. We kept it tight for periods but we leaked a few runs. When Root was batting he played fantastically and we need to find a plan for him.
"The wicket is quite slow and nullifies the short stuff but we tried to keep it full and swinging. The Duke ball is good fun - if you get it in the right areas there is always something there. If they get 40 or 50 more I think that's about par for them."
Post update
More from Joe Root on the pitch, which has been criticised for a lack of pace: "It's a little bit slow. Seeing the first few not carry was a bit of a worry.
"There's a little bit there - there are a few little indentations which could be helpful when we bowl."
Post update
And remember, you can have your say on Root's knock and all things Ashes-related on the BBC Radio 5 live Ashes Social, from 20:00 this evening.
BBCCopyright: BBC
Player's view
England batsman Joe Root, who made 134 off 166 balls, on Sky Sports: "I'm really pleased with the way things have gone. I rode my luck at times, especially early on.
"When they attack, that's the best time to attack them because that's where the gaps are. It's not going to work every time I go out, but fortunately it did today. Hopefully it's the first of a few and not just a one-off."
On the reasons for his brilliant form: "A bit of luck, a lot of hard work and trying to keep everything as simple and as basic as possible. Things just clicked. Sometimes you've got to be the one who stands up and gets the runs."
Post update
And that was that. England close on 343-7. A good day? From 43-3, you would think so, but there's a nagging thought that Australia may sell their wickets much dearer on this placid pitch.
"In the few balls I've seen Broad was watching the ball a bit better and trying like hell to get behind it, that's all you can expect. If he can get through that and the concern he has with fear, he'll make some runs because he has got some talent that lad."
Post update
Stokes sparkled for 52 before getting a beauty from the improving Mitchell Starc. England might have claimed complete honours had they suffered no further losses, but Jos Buttler's tame pat to mid-on meant Stuart Broad had to accompany Moeen Ali to the close.
"If there are any quicker pitches in the series - which I hope there will be - Ballance is going to have problems because he wasn't looking at the ball, but he got a fifty for his own confidence which was really good.
"England have done something about not letting the off-spinner, Nathan Lyon, tie them down and I'm not sure they got it totally right. We can't allow him to hold an end all day but there is a difference between stopping him and trying to whack him out the park all the time."
Post update
But the tea break brought a wicket, that of Ballance, lbw to Hazlewood, ending a stand of 153. Though Root completed a century and found some support from Ben Stokes, Australia would continue to chip away in an entertaining evening session full of runs and wickets.
Post update
In the company of his Yorkshire buddy Gary Ballance, Root rebuilt the England innings with some off-side play of the highest order. As he unfurled cuts and drives, Ballance, all at sea early on, battled through. 102 runs were added in the afternoon session.
"Haddin should have got two mitts to that catch off Joe Root, he never looked as if he was going to catch it. Root played marvellously from then on, he took the game away from Australia by being busy, didn't try to slog it, orthodox cricket with nice footwork.
"The Australian bowlers were striving all day for wickets, they bowled a lot of hittable balls with attacking fields even when there was nothing in the pitch and I thought that played into England's hands because there was plenty of room to hit it into the gaps."
Post update
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
And it could have been even better for Australia. Joe Root, only at the crease for two balls, edges Mitchell Starc behind. Wicketkeeper Brad Haddin dives to his right, goes with only one hand and shells the chance. Costly? You betcha.
Post update
It seems a long time ago that Alastair Cook won the toss and opted to bat. Immediately the pitch looked on the slow side, but that didn't stop Australia tearing into England's top order. Adam Lyth caught at gully off Josh Hazlewood, Cook caught behind from the spin of Nathan Lyon, an out-of-sorts Ian Bell pinned leg before by Mitchell Starc. 43-3, 2013-14 all over again.
"Been very interesting day, lots of incidents I thought England gave the initiative away. It's a brilliant pitch to negate the two fast bowlers of Australia, slow nothingness so it's easier to play the quick bowlers, perfectly prepared for England."
What to make of all that? There's still time to tweet, text and email your views. We'll be around for a little while longer and Geoffrey Boycott will be here to sum up the day.
"I hope tomorrow Broad comes out tomorrow and plays shots. If he stands there and tries to play it he's going to be in trouble. When he goes for it he can hit it miles."
Close of play
Eng 343-7
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
And that is that. Broad sways away from the final ball, ending the first day of this 2015 Ashes series. England 343-7, a fine recovery from 43-3. However, Australia will be pretty chuffed with taking seven wickets after losing the toss. See-saw, entertaining stuff. Honours even? Maybe don't judge it until Australia have batted.
Eng 343-7
Good from Broad. Could have taken a single and exposed Moeen to the final ball of the day. He turns it down so Moeen is still there tomorrow.
Join the debate at #bbccricket
Kendall: Poor from Buttler. Not quite there in Test cricket yet for me. Needs some bigger and better innings.
Eng 343-7 (Moeen 26, Broad 0)
Hazlewood tests out the middle of the deck, Broad plays it with all the certainty of man groping for his car keys in a dark room. Could have gone anywhere, landed safely on the off side. Three balls to go.
Join the debate at #bbccricket
Jan Dekker: All eerily, wearily similar to the last Ashes game at Cardiff. England under-score on placid track..
Eng 343-7
Another waft from Moeen, a man not playing as if it was the last ball of the day. Australia sprint round and get their wish of six more balls at Stuart Broad. Another wicket here and it really will be Australia's day.
Join the debate at #bbccricket
Andrew Lawton: England have lost some wickets at awful times today.
Eng 343-7
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Johnson to Moeen, who plays an awful waft outside off stump and is lucky to survive. I wonder if there's any thoughts of Johnson giving Moeen a single in order to have a go at Stuart Broad? Still the trumpeter in Cardiff, but no much other noise. There's some glum faces on the England balcony. Will we get another over in?
"If England are going to play an aggressive type of cricket I think we have to get used to there being some soft dismissals."
Eng 343-7
Just a thought. For as well as England have competed, they have lost seven wickets on a pretty sluggish deck. If there's no help for the home attack, how many might Australia rack up on this pitch? 343-7 might not be much cop. Remember, England got 400+ in the last Ashes Test here and needed a last-wicket great escape and some rain.
Eng 343-7 (Hazlewood 21-6-70-3)
Stuart Broad the new man. Mitchell Johnson is licking his lips, but will have to wait for his chance. One, maybe two overs left in the day.
"Caught mid-on against an opening bowler doesn't usually happen but the lack of pace played into his hands. Buttler was through the shot too early. What that does do is expose the vulnerable English tail."
WICKET
Buttler c Johnson b Hazlewood 27 (Eng 343-7)
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Oh, Jos. That really is a poor way to get out. After surviving that lbw shout off Josh Hazlewood, Buttler can only lob the softest of catches to mid-on, where Mitchell Johnson pouches. It's tame, especially with eight minutes to go until the close of play. Cardiff is stunned into silence. Does that mean it's Australia's day?
Join the debate at #bbccricket
Toby Tarrant: Don't want to jinx him but surely there's no better number eight in Test cricket than Big Mo!
Post update
Eng 343-6
YMCA in the crowd as Hazlewood nips one back into Buttler's pads. Big shout, but that's too leggy. No review.
Live Reporting
Stephan Shemilt and Marc Higginson
All times stated are UK
Get involved
Post update
After rain, anthems, runs, wickets and not much sledging, the battle for the smallest trophy in cricket is under way.
Have England made the most of their first dig on this Cardiff wicket, or have Australia already done enough damage to hold the upper hand? Tomorrow could have the answers, so join us then.
Post update
And I think that's where we'll leave it, ending the first day of this 2015 Ashes series.
'Hopefully we can score 400-plus'
England batsman Joe Root: "I'm happy to be in the position we are in as team. Hopefully we can kick on in the morning. The longer we can keep them out there, the better it is for us.
"Moeen and Broady are both very capable of scoring big scores - hopefully tomorrow is one of those days where they take it to them and we score 400-plus."
Player's view
Australia seamer Josh Hazlewood, who took 3-70 from 22 overs, on Sky Sports: "The game is fairly level at this stage. Hopefully we can clean them up in the morning.
"We were good in patches. We kept it tight for periods but we leaked a few runs. When Root was batting he played fantastically and we need to find a plan for him.
"The wicket is quite slow and nullifies the short stuff but we tried to keep it full and swinging. The Duke ball is good fun - if you get it in the right areas there is always something there. If they get 40 or 50 more I think that's about par for them."
Post update
More from Joe Root on the pitch, which has been criticised for a lack of pace: "It's a little bit slow. Seeing the first few not carry was a bit of a worry.
"There's a little bit there - there are a few little indentations which could be helpful when we bowl."
Post update
And remember, you can have your say on Root's knock and all things Ashes-related on the BBC Radio 5 live Ashes Social, from 20:00 this evening.
Player's view
England batsman Joe Root, who made 134 off 166 balls, on Sky Sports: "I'm really pleased with the way things have gone. I rode my luck at times, especially early on.
"When they attack, that's the best time to attack them because that's where the gaps are. It's not going to work every time I go out, but fortunately it did today. Hopefully it's the first of a few and not just a one-off."
On the reasons for his brilliant form: "A bit of luck, a lot of hard work and trying to keep everything as simple and as basic as possible. Things just clicked. Sometimes you've got to be the one who stands up and gets the runs."
Post update
And that was that. England close on 343-7. A good day? From 43-3, you would think so, but there's a nagging thought that Australia may sell their wickets much dearer on this placid pitch.
Post update
Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"In the few balls I've seen Broad was watching the ball a bit better and trying like hell to get behind it, that's all you can expect. If he can get through that and the concern he has with fear, he'll make some runs because he has got some talent that lad."
Post update
Stokes sparkled for 52 before getting a beauty from the improving Mitchell Starc. England might have claimed complete honours had they suffered no further losses, but Jos Buttler's tame pat to mid-on meant Stuart Broad had to accompany Moeen Ali to the close.
Post update
Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"If there are any quicker pitches in the series - which I hope there will be - Ballance is going to have problems because he wasn't looking at the ball, but he got a fifty for his own confidence which was really good.
"England have done something about not letting the off-spinner, Nathan Lyon, tie them down and I'm not sure they got it totally right. We can't allow him to hold an end all day but there is a difference between stopping him and trying to whack him out the park all the time."
Post update
But the tea break brought a wicket, that of Ballance, lbw to Hazlewood, ending a stand of 153. Though Root completed a century and found some support from Ben Stokes, Australia would continue to chip away in an entertaining evening session full of runs and wickets.
Post update
In the company of his Yorkshire buddy Gary Ballance, Root rebuilt the England innings with some off-side play of the highest order. As he unfurled cuts and drives, Ballance, all at sea early on, battled through. 102 runs were added in the afternoon session.
Post update
Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"Haddin should have got two mitts to that catch off Joe Root, he never looked as if he was going to catch it. Root played marvellously from then on, he took the game away from Australia by being busy, didn't try to slog it, orthodox cricket with nice footwork.
"The Australian bowlers were striving all day for wickets, they bowled a lot of hittable balls with attacking fields even when there was nothing in the pitch and I thought that played into England's hands because there was plenty of room to hit it into the gaps."
Post update
And it could have been even better for Australia. Joe Root, only at the crease for two balls, edges Mitchell Starc behind. Wicketkeeper Brad Haddin dives to his right, goes with only one hand and shells the chance. Costly? You betcha.
Post update
It seems a long time ago that Alastair Cook won the toss and opted to bat. Immediately the pitch looked on the slow side, but that didn't stop Australia tearing into England's top order. Adam Lyth caught at gully off Josh Hazlewood, Cook caught behind from the spin of Nathan Lyon, an out-of-sorts Ian Bell pinned leg before by Mitchell Starc. 43-3, 2013-14 all over again.
Post update
Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special
"Been very interesting day, lots of incidents I thought England gave the initiative away. It's a brilliant pitch to negate the two fast bowlers of Australia, slow nothingness so it's easier to play the quick bowlers, perfectly prepared for England."
Close-of-play scorecard
England 343-7 (88 overs)
Batsmen: Moeen 26* (38), Broad 0* (7)
Fall of wickets: 7-1 (Lyth 6), 42-2 (Cook 20), 43-3 (Bell 1), 196-4 (Ballance 61), 280-5 (Root 134), 293-6 (Stokes 52), 343-7 (Buttler 27)
Bowling figures: Starc 19-4-84-3, Hazlewood 22-8-70-3, Johnson 20-2-87-0, Lyon 17-4-54-1, Watson 8-0-24-0, Warner 2-0-9-0
England won toss
Full scorecard
Post update
What to make of all that? There's still time to tweet, text and email your views. We'll be around for a little while longer and Geoffrey Boycott will be here to sum up the day.
Post update
Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"I hope tomorrow Broad comes out tomorrow and plays shots. If he stands there and tries to play it he's going to be in trouble. When he goes for it he can hit it miles."
Close of play
Eng 343-7
And that is that. Broad sways away from the final ball, ending the first day of this 2015 Ashes series. England 343-7, a fine recovery from 43-3. However, Australia will be pretty chuffed with taking seven wickets after losing the toss. See-saw, entertaining stuff. Honours even? Maybe don't judge it until Australia have batted.
Eng 343-7
Good from Broad. Could have taken a single and exposed Moeen to the final ball of the day. He turns it down so Moeen is still there tomorrow.
Join the debate at #bbccricket
Kendall: Poor from Buttler. Not quite there in Test cricket yet for me. Needs some bigger and better innings.
Eng 343-7 (Moeen 26, Broad 0)
Hazlewood tests out the middle of the deck, Broad plays it with all the certainty of man groping for his car keys in a dark room. Could have gone anywhere, landed safely on the off side. Three balls to go.
Join the debate at #bbccricket
Jan Dekker: All eerily, wearily similar to the last Ashes game at Cardiff. England under-score on placid track..
Eng 343-7
Another waft from Moeen, a man not playing as if it was the last ball of the day. Australia sprint round and get their wish of six more balls at Stuart Broad. Another wicket here and it really will be Australia's day.
Join the debate at #bbccricket
Andrew Lawton: England have lost some wickets at awful times today.
Eng 343-7
Johnson to Moeen, who plays an awful waft outside off stump and is lucky to survive. I wonder if there's any thoughts of Johnson giving Moeen a single in order to have a go at Stuart Broad? Still the trumpeter in Cardiff, but no much other noise. There's some glum faces on the England balcony. Will we get another over in?
Post update
Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"If England are going to play an aggressive type of cricket I think we have to get used to there being some soft dismissals."
Eng 343-7
Just a thought. For as well as England have competed, they have lost seven wickets on a pretty sluggish deck. If there's no help for the home attack, how many might Australia rack up on this pitch? 343-7 might not be much cop. Remember, England got 400+ in the last Ashes Test here and needed a last-wicket great escape and some rain.
Eng 343-7 (Hazlewood 21-6-70-3)
Stuart Broad the new man. Mitchell Johnson is licking his lips, but will have to wait for his chance. One, maybe two overs left in the day.
Post update
Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"Caught mid-on against an opening bowler doesn't usually happen but the lack of pace played into his hands. Buttler was through the shot too early. What that does do is expose the vulnerable English tail."
WICKET
Buttler c Johnson b Hazlewood 27 (Eng 343-7)
Oh, Jos. That really is a poor way to get out. After surviving that lbw shout off Josh Hazlewood, Buttler can only lob the softest of catches to mid-on, where Mitchell Johnson pouches. It's tame, especially with eight minutes to go until the close of play. Cardiff is stunned into silence. Does that mean it's Australia's day?
Join the debate at #bbccricket
Toby Tarrant: Don't want to jinx him but surely there's no better number eight in Test cricket than Big Mo!
Post update
Eng 343-6
YMCA in the crowd as Hazlewood nips one back into Buttler's pads. Big shout, but that's too leggy. No review.
Post update