England vs Australia LIVE: Ashes scorecard and first Test updates

Three slips, two leg slips for Steve Smith, but he won’t be tempted as Broad pushes one slightly too far down leg. Not the best hat-trick ball.

Smith tucks one competently through midwicket to get off the mark with three, a damp outfield aiding Moeen Ali who puts in the hard work to reel it in.

GONE! TWO IN TWO! Marnus Labuschagne nicks behind!

It’s the outswinger, too, the one that Stuart Broad had worked so hard to develop this spring with exactly that in mind. Labuschagne tries to get forward, drawn into playing at the ball by Broad’s natural angle of attack, but it curves away delightfully, taking a nibble out of the edge halfway up. There’s still work to be done, but boy does Jonny Bairstow do it, limbs working perfectly to pluck on the dive in the meat of his right glove.

Steve Smith to the middle with Edgbaston roaring and Stuart Broad on a hat-trick…

Edgbaston liked that, their conductor in chief again dismissing Australia’s pantomime villain. Broad waves the baton, asking for the Hollies Stand to build to crescendo as Marnus Labuschagne waits, fidgeting in place…

There’s the first! Stuart Broad gets David Warner again!

It’s wider from Broad, and Warner hopes to climb into it, but the length isn’t quite there. A thick inside edge and his timbers are shivered – for the 15th time in Test cricket, Broad has his bunny and England the early breakthrough they needed.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah” is David Warner’s brisk call as he recognises the chance for a quick single into the offside. Usman Khawaja responds well, and clips a lovely boundary through the legside as Anderson errs on to his pads.

Khawaja doesn’t quite time his drive as nicely, skewing two along the ground through extra cover. Anderson requests a man on the drive in response, happy to lose one of his four catchers, but Khawaja is good enough to beat Ollie Pope to his left for a couple more on the drive as the Australian openers begin to settle in.

Here, by the way, is a reminder of what is to come if England get through this top pair. They might well need to make use of these favourable conditions.

Usman Khawaja did not face Stuart Broad last night, but soon finds good judgement, letting one go half-a-foot from off-stump as Jonny Bairstow is forced to sprawl to prevent byes after some late movement from the air.

Crunch! The first boundary of the day is pulled emphatically between midwicket and mid-on, Khawaja confident enough to drag a ball moving away from in off the surface into a sizeable gap between two of England’s three leg-side fielders.

After four balls around the wicket, Broad changes tack, but Khawaja’s judgement is again good, confident enough in the bounce to leave a length ball on off-stump.

The fielders begin to trot into position for Anderson’s next but Broad has over-stepped, so will have to go again. He produces a beauty, too, Khawaja trapped on the crease and beaten on the angle.

The first run of the day nearly arrives as Usman Khawaja moves out of crease to check drive straight of mid-off, but Ben Stokes is around comfortably enough to cut it off, even if a slightly laboured stoop to collect.

That will encourage James Anderson, though – hoop away from Khawaja in consecutive balls, the second of them beating a blade that follows the swing slightly. The batter concedes he’s been beaten with a smile.

A four-strong slip cordon is in place for Anderson, who has a brief disagreement with his skipper about how best to assemble the rest of his fielding unit. And there are the first runs of the day, clipped tidily to fine leg for a single by Khawaja to pinch the strike.

There’s a short cover in for David Warner. England are perhaps hoping that the slowness of the surface can draw the left-hander into playing too early and chipping one to that catcher, who is in place in lieu of a gully.

A couple of strides down from Warner but he can’t make connection with his attempted flick.

Over the wicket for Anderson, statistically the best line of attack to Khawaja. Nothing immediately evident through the air but Anderson will be encouraged to push the ball full and try and pounce upon some of the hesitancy of footwork that has hurt Khawaja in these conditions before.

Four blocks, two leaves – there were only two maidens in the entire England innings yesterday but we’ve had two to start the morning here.

As expected, James Anderson has starting duties at the other end. His first Test this summer, of course, after a niggly injury ruled him out of an Ireland Test in which he was always unlikely to be involved.

Usman Khawaja blocks Anderson’s first ball to mid-on.