Out: Ponting is caught by Graeme Swann on an amazing first morning in Adelaide
Session one: Australia 94/3.
England make a sensational start as Jonathan Trott runs out Simon Katich fourth ball. The Australia opener had not faced a delivery so his wicket was a diamond duck. Ricky Ponting is then out for a first-ball golden duck as Jimmy Anderson finds the edge of the home captain’s bat and Graeme Swann snaffles the chance at third slip. Anderson then strikes again as Swann takes another catch to remove Michael Clarke. Australia are, unbelievably, 2-3. But Mike Hussey and Shane Watson, who reaches 50, settle in and allow Australia to regroup before the lunch interval.
Verdict: England.
Session two: Australia 159-5.
Anderson strikes in the second over after lunch to remove Shane Watson for 51, the Aussie opener finding Kevin Pietersen at gully. That brings Marcus North to the crease and he reaches 26 before clipping Steve Finn behind to wicketkeeper Matt Prior. Two wickets in the searing heat is good work by England and Australia, despite some consolidation, are still in trouble at tea.
Verdict: England.
Session three: Australia 245. England
With Brad Haddin joining Mike Hussey before the break, Australia look to rebuild once again. But Mr Cricket departs seven short of his century shortly after the pair bring up the 50 partnership. Ryan Harris, on his Ashes debut, is then out first ball, lbw, to leave Swann on a hat-trick – which he doesn’t get. The tail add 38 runs before Haddin (56) is caught in the deep by Finn off Broad. The tourists then negotiate one over unscathed before stumps.
Verdict: England.
Test in a tweet: The day where, possibly, England took one giant step towards winning this series after a brilliant bowling display.
Who we’ll befriend on Facebook: Jimmy Anderson.
So he can’t do it in Australia? Never delivers away from home when he doesn’t have the leaden grey skies to aid his swing bowling? Well, nobody told Jimmy that. The Burnley Express tore into Australia’s top order on day one, taking the scalps of Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson and Peter Siddle. And there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
And who we’ll unfriend: Simon Katich.
Sorry Kato, you may have been Metro’s columnist during the last Ashes series in 2009 and an all-round top bloke but you created a piece of cricketing history for me yesterday as I witnessed my first diamond duck. Kato didn’t face a single ball but when Shane Watson set off for a suicidal single – yes it was his fault - it left his partner at the mercy of the dead-eye aim of Jonathan Trott. He walked off the Adelaide Oval a broken man...sort of.
Life in a lift: The first in an occasional series chronicling the various celebrities/former cricketers I have had the pleasure of sharing a lift up to the media centre with. Today step forward former England captains Michael Vaughan and Nasser Hussain. It was a pleasure.
Diversion of the day: Venturing out of the press box I stumble upon Barmy Army trumpeter Bill Cooper, who takes me onto the Hill where I get treated to a host of his classics, including Convict Colony (to the tune of Yellow Submarine), which didn’t go down too well with the locals. But he placates them with a rousing rendition of the Neighbours theme tune.
Download of the day: Gotta be startin’ something by Michael Jackson.