Ashes: Third Test day one as it happened

More from England paceman James Anderson on Sky Sports: "I've done some great work in the nets with Ottis Gibson over the last few days.

"Steven Finn has had a tough 18 months and worked so hard to get back in the Test side, so everyone in the dressing-room's delighted for him and he looked a threat.

"Conditions were in the bowlers' favour here today with the rain and the lights on, the more sun gets on the pitch it'll be easier to bat, so hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow."

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Geoffrey says England are in the perfect position. Do you agree with him? Share your views with the BBC Radio 5 live Ashes Social, which has just got under way.

"England are in the perfect position. They couldn't have dreamed of this after Lord's. They will just be saying to go in show patience, discipline and bat. Bell and Lyth gave their wickets away and they need to stop doing that. Make them bowl you out."

Bell couldn't get to the close, a ridiculous slog at Lyon getting hit caught at mid-wicket. The returning Jonny Bairstow saw Joe Root through to the final, terminal rain break. England only three behind with seven first-innings wickets in hand.

Adam Lyth played a horrible loose drive to be caught behind, Alastair Cook was unbelievably unlucky to pull a Nathan Lyon long hop straight to the guts of Adam Voges at short leg. England, though, will be most pleased with the eye-catching drives that took Ian Bell to a much-needed half-century.

England paceman James Anderson on Sky Sports: "We're very happy, especially after losing the toss, we created pressure to get them out for a low score and then the guys batted well.

"There was a large percentage of bad shots from them, but saying that, Chris Rogers was watchful and then put away the bad ball.

"The pitch carried more than Lord's, so Broady and I discussed that trying to hit the pitch hard, wobble the ball and hit the seam on a full length was going to do more than swinging it, and it worked well for us."

Could Australia find the assistance that aided England? In short, no. Too many loose deliveries, wickets attained through some poor shots and one very big slice of luck.

Australia opener Chris Rogers on the dizzy spells he suffered at Lord's: "I was desperate to play. Even to miss the last day of Lord's, they're memories you miss, but I've got the all-clear and there was nothing to stop me playing here.

"It's nice to see Steven Finn back, though I don't think he liked it when I pulled him. We just need more balls in the right area to make England defend."

"I am pleased for Steven Finn. Two years ago I saw him and thought we were lucky to have him and then he had all that trouble clipping the wickets that caused them to try and change his action.

"He gets wickets and he gets them at a cheap rate. Anyone like that, you have him in your team, you put him in your pocket and carry him around with you.

"It is a God-given gift to get wickets."

Australia opener Chris Rogers on Sky Sports: "Very disappointing, we won the toss but England put us under pressure and we didn't respond. You have to give their attack credit, but there's times when you have to fight, and some of the shot selection... we needed to have a better day.

"The pitch was quick enough, it took the edge and carried and England exploited it well and hit the right lengths. It's going to be tough throughout the game, there's enough grass on the pitch but there's cracks in it too so it could be difficult in the fourth innings, but we're behind the game at the moment."

"This is a different scenario to Lord's but I don't think anyone expected Australia to bat as badly as they did.

"The pitch did a bit but you needed to bat sensibly. You needed to pick off the balls and be patient. Some of the shot playing beggared belief. All out for 136 was probably 20 too many from the way they played.

"The pitch dried out and it didn't do so much. But Australia have dug themselves a hole that I don't think they will get out of."

And then the James Anderson-induced carnage. Four wickets for seven runs in 19 balls after lunch. Swinging the ball round trees to remove Voges, Marsh, Nevill and Johnson. Only Chris Rogers stood firm for 52, but when he went, Australia were rolled for 136. Anderson's 6-47 his best Ashes figures.

"Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison sometimes caused problems here with the ball coming out of the hospitality boxes at the far end - and if you're Steven Finn at six foot seven, you can cause a few."

In his first Test over for more than two years, Finn had the world's number one batsman, Steve Smith, edging behind. He followed that up with a yorker to remove Michael Clarke. It was the Finn of old - pace and line. Australia 72-3 at lunch.

Alastair Cook said he would have batted too, so was probably mighty relieved when he saw the movement his bowlers got both in the air and off the seam. David Warner pinned leg before by a James Anderson nip-backer, but the real story of the morning session was the rebirth of Steven Finn.

"Remarkably topsy turvy. To think England were bowled out at Lord's in 37 overs and couldn't have played worse. I wasn't quite so sure at the decision to bat by Clarke. If the ball is moving around in England, you're risking having to take on two superb fast bowlers in Broad and Anderson. Anderson is right there in the pantheon of great fast bowlers."

It seems a long time ago that Michael Clarke called correctly and won the toss, doesn't it? That's pretty much the only thing that has gone right for the Australia skipper today.

Yep, the rain has had the final say. We won't be back out before 19:00, so stumps have been drawn. It's grey in Birmingham, but that won't matter to England, who have had a day they could only have dreamed of. Lose the toss, bowl Australia out for 136, get to 133-3. They are in the pound to regain the lead in this series.

"Look back a week, and England were bowled out in 37 overs. Australia were bowled out in 36.4 today. The wicket of Voges was key as it caused them to panic."

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BBC Radio 5 live's Ashes Social begins at 19:00, on 909 and 693 MW, on digital radios and TVs and online.

Call 0500 909 693 or text 85058.

Hmmm, it doesn't look like those covers are going anywhere just yet. Counting down to that 19:00 cut-off now.

Are the covers coming off, or are they simply repositioning them? Hard to tell.

"A fantastic day's Test cricket. I thought there would be a bit in it for the seamers early on, as there should be in Test match cricket, but England put it in great areas, got the seam movement from the wicket and put Australia under pressure - they got them fiddling outside off stump."

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The square is now entirely covered by those dirty white sheets. There's lots of groundstaff out there. Plenty of spectators remain in the stands, so it's not heavy enough to drive them away. We might not be done yet.

"Australia can get back into this game, but they'd have to take seven wickets for 120 and bat a lot better second time round."

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The dome-like hovercover protects the wicket, while the white sheets are rolled out across the square. With how long it takes to get the covers on and off, this would have to be a pretty short shower for there to be more play today.

Mattie Bagnall: Whoops, wild shot, but still a potentially career saving innings from Bell.

Jonny Burgin: Why did Simon Mann have to say Bell had been "redeemed of sorts". Just asking for trouble at this stage.

Greg: Brain fade there!

Joe Root looks to the umpires, as if pleading to get off the park. The umpires agree and the players scuttle to the pavilion. On come the covers. If we're not back by 19:00, that would be it for the day.

Not a great time for Bairstow to resume his Test career - dark, rain falling, Australia sniffing an opening. He waits for Starc, open stance, high backlift, muttering to himself. A quick single gets him off the mark. I wonder if he now must have to deal with Mitchell Johnson. Groundstaff are ready with the covers.

The replays make it look no better for Bell, it's almost a slog. On taking the catch, Warner was screaming, perhaps in the direction of Bell. Lyon has now bowled two overs and has removed both Cook and Bell. Jonny Bairstow is the new man, recalled after 18 months out. I suspect he will be peppered.

"Ian Bell threw his wicket away there. Give credit to Adam Voges for the Cook wicket as you see bat-pad fielders turn their backs when they see a half-tracker coming, and Voges didn't. But Bell didn't follow through with his shot and just hit it into the air."

"He was looking to hit him over the top, it went high in the air, it was a well-judged catch and Lyon has done it again."

"A redemption of sorts for Bell, in front of his Warwickshire supporters. He has batted beautifully - what a way to bring up your half-century. There have been one or two iffy shots, a bit like Cardiff, but he's got on with it."

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Well played, Ian Bell. After a poor trot, England's senior middle-order batsman marks his return to his home ground and a promotion to number three with a run-a-ball half-century. He goes there with a stroke that has characterised his innings, a lovely cover drive. England will be just as pleased with Bell's return to form as they were with their earlier bowling performance.

It might be dark, but Joe Root is seeing it well, leaning into a Hazlewood half-volley to play the most handsome of cover drives. "Roooooooot!" Then too straight from Hazlewood, Root clipping through mid-wicket, where Mitchell Johnson does his best impression of Tower Bridge to let the ball underneath his dive. Is the bigger cheer for the boundary or the Johnson error? Don't discount Hazlewood, mind. A near-unplayable outswinger squares up Root and misses off stump by a coat of varnish.

"Australia need to restrict England now and bowl some maidens. If they bowl the ball in the right place often enough, they'll get wickets. But it's easy to say that from here."

Jonny Bairstow waits with his pads on, contemplating his first Test innings for over 18 months. Starc angles the ball across Root, who controls an edge to third man for four. Eeessshhh, nothing controlled about this, a proper edge that doesn't carry to Voges at first slip. Still something out there for the bowlers - have Australia simply not got it right as often as England did?

"Australia have a lot of work to do here, with Bell - on his home ground - and Root looking very comfortable. There's plenty more overs to bowl tonight."

It's dark, I'm hearing rumours of rain in Birmingham city centre. I'd be pretty stunned if we get through to that 19:23 cut-off time without any more of the wet stuff. The floodlights are on, reflecting off the shiny side of the ball and the stickers on Joe Root's bat. Nice from Hazlewood, moving the ball away from Root, who ends the over with a single.

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Andrew Tuffnell: Great to see Bell batting like the player he is! Top class batting! #HesBack

JoElle: ‏Ian Bell is BACK!

Amanda Rutter: Umm, who is this Ian Bell chap? I don't recognise him from the rest of the summer

"Bell is in impish mood now. He spoke about this before the game, saying what has he got to worry about, batting at three and playing on his home ground. He has carried that onto the pitch."

Where has this Ian Bell been hiding? Backed with some home comforts, a promotion to number three and some long half-volleys from Mitchell Starc, Bell twice sends dreamy covers drives to the boundary. Michael Clarke has his head in his hands, sending a sweeper to the off-side fence. When he won the toss this morning, he can't have imagined his team would be all out and he'd need a boundary fielder for Ian Bell. Oh, Belly! Late cut for four takes us to drinks. Sir Bell of Birmingham - he's on 47.

Alec WhitwellCopyright: Alec Whitwell

Another look at the scorecard for England's out-of-this-world bowling performance, courtesy of Alec Whitwell in Coventry.

Hazlewood angles his run towards the new stand, a looming, blue structure that climbs miles into the sky. Ooofff, that's a beauty, nipping away off the seam and beating the grope of Bell. It's getting darker, more rain? There's a dirty black cloud overhead.

"What I think often happens when your team has been bowled out cheaply, it is almost human nature to chase the game. If England were chasing 300, the Australia bowlers would be more patient. Going hell for leather for wickets is often counter-productive."

Joe Root isn't taking this Johnson bumper barrage on the chin - not if he can help it. Bouncer, top-edged hook... six over the keeper's head. Johnson has his hand on his chin, stroking like an evil genius coming up with a new plan. More derogatory songs from the crowd, words from Johnson to Root. I think it was "good shot, Joe".

Only the one, successful, over for Nathan Lyon, with Josh Hazlewood back to replace him under an iron sky. Too leg-side from Hazlewood, with Root clipping fine for four then again in the same direction for a single. Edgbaston crowd back into the action - they don't stay down for long.

Chris Parker: Australia using the "If you can't be good be lucky" approach there

Merlyn: That catch shouldn't count… I'm old fashioned and think you have to look at it.

Flemming Jensen: ‏That did NOT just happen.......

The arrival of Root sees Johnson summoned again - Root had a touch of trouble with Johnson's head-seekers at Lord's. The wicket has just quietened Edgbaston, whilst Michael Clarke is wearing a smile for the first time since he won the toss. Johnson has Root hopping about, then Bell pinned on the back foot. He's got the speedo cranked about 92mph. There's no bowling to the left and right here, just serious pace.

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Watch this video on the BBC Sport website to see Ed Joyce caught at short leg in 2009... by Jonathan Trott's pocket as he tried to leap out of the way!

The replays make it all the more unreal. Most people in the ground were looking towards the leg-side boundary, instead Voges was celebrating and telling the Aussies it was all planned. It will give Australia a much-needed lift because, before that, they were flatter than a Staffordshire oatcake. Joe Root the new man.

"I was looking initially to the square leg boundary. He rocked back to a short ball and hit it cleanly and Voges was covering up so he didn't get hit and the ball lodged in his midriff, in his jumper. Cook played really well and that is a bonus wicket."

"The way England are scoring they are going to be past Australia's total by the close. The Aussie bowlers are striving all the time because their batsmen have let them down."

This situation, right here, is what England would want to bottle and carry around with them. Pitch looking flatter than before, ball not moving, crowd baying and Ian Bell looking something like his old self. Josh Hazlewood on for Mitchell Johnson, two successive drives followed by a clip off the pads making three successive fours. "Are you Johnson in disguise?" is the song from the stands.

"Before today, Ian Bell had 149 runs off Johnson and has been dismissed seven times at an average of 21.28."

There's some way to go yet, but this has the potential to be England's best day of Ashes cricket since when? Melbourne 2010? Marsh serves Ian Bell a leg-stump half-volley, with Mitchell Johnson running round to do the fielding... oh, Mitchell. A slide, totally misses it, goes for four. The crowd are all over him. Strike rotated, Johnson to the other side of the ground, Cook clips in his direction once more. He collects the ball, shows his machismo by flinging it about 40 yards from its intended target. Well played, Mitch.

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"If it doesn't rocket off for Johnson you take away half his firepower. So far he hasn't been able to. That is not to say he won't during the match but he hasn't and he won't bowl you out without that."

Johnson, dark of hair and moustache, is serving up some all sorts here. Wide, then some swing, then a bumper that Bell hooks for a single. Speed in the high-80s, too straight to Cook, who clips for four. Applause, fans on their feet, waving those cards that have big number 4s printed on them.

"The last time that Ian Bell batted at three in a home Test was against India at the Oval in 2011 and he made a career best of 235."

Joe Root waits with his pads on, Adam Lyth a couple of seats along. He looks thoroughly hacked off. Still the skiddy Marsh, accurate on the off stump for Cook, who pushes a couple through the off side. Nothing flashy about this England accumulation, but they are only 88 behind.

The Barmies are in wonderful voice, singing the song about Mitchell Johnson that uses a naughty word. One that would get me the sack. Short from Johnson, but Bell is pouncing on a pull shot, going to fine leg for four. Apparently there's a beer on sale inside the ground called 'Swing King' named after James Anderson. There's also one called 'lbw', named after Shane Watson.*

*The second part of this isn't true.

"I think it is a fascinating Test. If England play well tonight they have got the game. This session is the key. They will get more overs than Australia batted so we could be up and past them."

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And now we pause to bring you some sad news.

Former BBC racing commentator Sir Peter O'Sullevan has died at the age of 97.

As a horse-racing commentator on BBC TV for half a century, O'Sullevan had one of the best-known voices in broadcasting, and was known throughout racing as 'The Voice'.

Sir Peter died home in London after a long illness. Follow Sportsday live for tributes.

On Twitter: Since Strauss retired, Cook's six opening partners have scored 1,717 runs in 63 innings at 28.61.

The Barmy Army are lubricated enough to tell us who they are, singing as Mitchell Marsh comes into the attack. Some gentle swing into the left-handed Cook, who tentatively inside edges for four. There are still 36 overs left in the day and we can play until 19:23. Might not be home in time for dinner.

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While Ian Bell scratches around in the middle, the man he replaced as England's number three batsman, Gary Ballance, is also batting, albeit 100-odd miles away at the Oval. And he's going rather well too - he's just passed 50 as Yorkshire try to chase down Surrey's 265-8 in a 50-over One-Day Cup match. It's Ballance's second fifty in two One-Day Cup matches since being dropped.

Nothing in the air for Johnson, but he is rattling it down at speeds touching 90mph. Songs from the crowd at Edgbaston as Anderson and Broad sit on the England balcony, tracksuited. They're not planning on doing any more work today. Careful, Alastair. That inside edge almost finds the man at leg gully.

"It is different for the Aussie bowlers bowling here today to at Lord's when they had plenty of runs on the board. In the back of their mind they know they need to get 10 wickets cheaply. Johnson is not a big mover of the ball. He is in your face with pace. If I'm batting against him, it helps knowing he doesn't move the ball much."

Thanks, Marc. My arrival is greeted by boos inside Edgbaston. I think they're for Mitchell Johnson, rather than me. Hopefully.

Ian Bell is being given a working over by Josh Hazlewood, the ball being expertly nipped off the seam this way and that. Driving the ball through the covers for three, the right-hander's happy to turn over the strike.

And with that, my time in the commentary seat is at an end. Here's Stephan Shemilt.

This Is My Opinion: Now the BBC Cricket 10 little notifications of delight turn to 10 dreaded notifications of shame

Martin Smith: ‏I feel ashamed but when England bat my ears are always on alert for the @BBCSport app notification alert sound #ashamed

Roger Scupham: How many people are like me and turn off the wicket alert when England are batting?

Alastair Cook looks in supreme nick - Mitchell Starc bowls it short and wide and clobbers four through point. The Chef is up and Cooking. The next delivery is too good though, and whistles past the outside edge.

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The England fans cheer as Josh Hazlewood drops short and Alastair Cook impressively gets over the ball and pulls to the square leg boundary.

Tip and run - Ian Bell is off the mark with a scampered single.

Ian Bell is cheered to the middle. Big innings for England's new number three.

"It was a very poor shot. No seam, no swing, just a wide full ball that he went after. I said not to go fishing after it and that is exactly what he has done. It is sloppy play. Dumb cricket by Adam Lyth."

The outfield is rather slow since the last rain shower and Adam Lyth's nice cover drive only brings two. He gets his boundary in the end though - tickling four off his legs.

"This is a wicket where you just have to protect your stumps. Unless it is a rank half-volley just let it go by. Starc isn't doing it for me. If I was Michael Clarke now I'd be turning to the other Mitchell, Mr Johnson."

Josh Hazlewood is getting some nice shape on that red cherry but has not got full control. The two England openers exchange singles while the Aussies slip and slide in the damp outfield. It's Mitchell Marsh who mis-fields this time.

Rory Hall: Sticking the scorecard up everywhere at this juncture is tempting fate. Do it if we win.

Jonny Burgin: Printed off the scorecard and put it in the office in Boston... No one has any idea what it means but I'm loving the view!

Here are the answers to today's #QSTeaser from @QuestionofSport - we asked you: the last time an Ashes Test was played at Edgbaston, who were the five players with five letter surnames?

The answers are Stuart Broad, Graham Manou, Marcus North, Matt Prior and Graeme Swann.

If you remembered Graham Manou, the erstwhile Aussie reserve wicketkeeper who played his one and only Test on this ground in 2009 after Brad Haddin broke a finger, well done!

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We can play until 19:30 BST tonight to try and get the 90 overs in. Mitchell Starc is almost running in from the sightscreen but Alastair Cook is leaving the ball well. No nibbles from the skipper who dabs a single into the off side. Adam Lyth's nerves are helped when he punches two down the ground.

"The conditions have improved since England were out there at the start of their innings, when Lyth was hanging on. There are patches of blue sky now."

Paul B: Printed off the score and stuck it to my Aussie colleague's computer screen while he was away. He wasn't amused.

Hang on. The covers are coming off, the refreshed-looking umpires are striding out purposefully and are quickly followed by the Australians. Then the England batsmen.

"The tea-time band have set up right in from of the Hollies Stand, who are singing along to Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics. Well, most of them are. The Australian tour group in the front row appear distinctly unamused."

I'm loving that people are printing the scorecard out off this website. Where's the best place you've pinned it up? Can you get somebody famous to hold it up? Maybe you can sneak it into a restaurant window?

Kevin Carter: Printed the AUS 1st innings score to put up. Got Caught. Boss was mid telling off when he noticed the score! Stopped instantly.

The covers are slowly being peeled back, the white sheets removed to reveal the bowlers' run-ups. Play might not be too far away.

"Just to dot the i's and cross the t's on David Butler's email (15:33). In 1997, Australia won the toss and chose to bat on the first day of the first Test at Edgbaston but were skittled out for 119, with Andy Caddick taking five wickets, Darren Gough three and Devon Malcolm two. A Nasser Hussain double hundred and Graham Thorpe's 138 gave England a 360-run first innings lead, and although Australia made 477 in their second innings Alec Stewart and Michael Atherton steered England to a nine-wicket win. Sadly for England, they didn't win another match until the final Test at The Oval, by which time the Ashes were safely in Australia's hands."

"Geoffrey [Boycott] has been saying this pitch has not done much. But I think some balls have done an awful lot."

"It is not easy out there. Starc has got the ball to move away from the left-handers.

"It is impossible not to smile as an opener in these conditions. You are going to get beaten. Leaving the ball will be a crucial part of the game and it is an area in which Cook, during this series, has shown the way. You can frustrate the bowlers and they get impatient."

Rob in London: I might get shot down for blasphemy, but I wish Lord's wasn't used for Ashes Test matches. It can be so devoid of atmosphere. The Barmy Army really are a 12th man in these series. It was clear what the crowd's support meant to Cook in the first Test. Cardiff, Edgbaston, Trent Bridge, Headingley and Oval… Perfect! Fat chance, mind!

The umpires decide to take an early tea. England, however, still have more than 44 overs to survive if we have no further interruptions.

On Twitter: "The last time England used only three bowlers to bowl Australia out was in 1997 at Edgbaston."

AFPCopyright: AFP

England won't be too upset to see the rain fall and the covers come on.

Earlier, we said you should print the scorecard out and put it on your office wall...

Like an expert driver parking his car in a tight space, Adam Lyth leaves the ball well to Josh Hazlewood. Then, next ball up, the bowler straightens up and there's an edge behind which doesn't carry to second slip. Soft hands.

Josh Hazlewood has four slips in place, but they are not in the game when he bowls on Alastair Cook's pads and the left-hander nudges three into the vast open spaces of the outfield.

"A big factor, especially in the next 30 minutes, will be the ability to leave the ball. Australia gave a very poor example of how to do this."

I wish I had the ability of Mitchell Starc. Tall and athletic, he glides to the crease and delivers the ball at 90mph. He's almost getting too much shape at the moment. Adam Lyth grits his teeth and leaves everything he can. Just a single from the over.

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"Lyth survived the over but Hazlewood is likely to be offering the thought to him that he doesn't know how. Opening the batting, especially in these conditions, is hard - and Lyth is battling hard."

If you were in any doubt whether the Aussies could bowl well on this... well, they can. Josh Hazlewood bowls some jaffas which rip past Adam Lyth's outside edge. I hate to say it, but the opener doesn't look convincing.

Rob in Gloucester: Great day's cricket! That's it for me, I'm logging off and leaving it at that before the England batsmen ruin it for me.

Peter in Yalding: A great comeback after Lord's that few saw coming, and guess what... the doom mongers are out already. If the bowlers can pull off that performance, why not the batsmen?

"How did that miss the stumps? It was a perfect yorker that hit the bottom of his bat, into the ground and over middle stump. Lyth is smiling because he knows he is lucky."

Josh Hazlewood almost squeezes a yorker underneath Adam Lyth's bat. The Yorkie left-hander then gets off the mark with a pushed single to mid-off.

Adam Lyth will be delighted with England's 10-wicket haul today. But, with his opener's hat on, he must be dreading this next few hours. He gets a few verbals from Mitchell Starc when he nibbles at one which moves quite a way off the seam. This is what the ball is doing if you excuse my very poor graphic artist skills:

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Rich: 64 to avoid the follow on! #Positive

Son of Tony: Prediction: England all out for 89 before the close of play, Cook top-scoring with 32.

Tony: ‏Do we have to bat now? Can't we just agree that England have won this Test? :(

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"Not a nice time to bat this. Half an hour to go to tea, a menacing new ball and it is very gloomy."

James Cox: ‏In response to Phil in Bristol (see 15:36), what about a classic bit of Richie Benaud commentary, perhaps "Marvellous"!

Adam Lyth faces the first ball of the England innings. Mitchell Starc to deliver it and the ball's like a boomerang before being defended by the batsman who is stuck on his crease and squared up. Gulp.

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Had a busy day? Just checking in? Well, you've missed the Aussies.

They won the toss. Batted first. Were blown away by England. James Anderson got six, Steven Finn bowling with real pace and menace, bagged two. As did Stuart Broad.

Now England have their turn to bat.

Sefton: Man of the series so far? Rogers? Smith? Broad? Anderson? How about Gary Barwell, the Edgbaston groundsman. Thanks the heavens we have a true English wicket. Well played that man.

"Let's be honest, England have some batting to do. If you are an Australian bowler you will fancy this. They have seen the length they have to bowl, especially Hazlewood and Starc, who move the ball around. Johnson, you just send out there to bowl with his usual hostility."

Gavin Butler: When there's a wicket I play the BBC cricket theme by tapping a ballpoint pen on my monitor. The roar of the office then goes up.

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"It has been a remarkable day at Edgbaston and England have given them a chance in this match. It is early days, though. The question is; what happens now and what do England produce when they bat?"

"6-47 is the best figures for James Anderson in an Ashes Test match."

James Marsh: In response to Phil in Bristol (see 15:36), I'd suggest a Nelson from the Simpsons-style 'Ha Ha' sound for every Aussie wicket that falls?

Nathan Lyon is being a pest to England now - playing a flamingo-like whip through the leg side which brings four. KP would be proud of that. Then he edges James Anderson over slip for another boundary. Go hard or go home.

Former South Africa and Nottinghamshire captain Clive Rice died yesterday, aged 66. One of the best all-rounders of his era, he played for Notts between 1975 and 1987 and led them to the County Championship title in 1981 and 1987. Rice, who had been receiving treatment for a brain tumour, played only three one-day internationals because his career coincided with South Africa's sporting isolation during apartheid.

"Clive Rice was very tough on the pitch, very hard and he said very little. Off the pitch you could sit and talk cricket with him. I learned a lot from him. And he was a fine cricketer."

Stuart Broad, wearing a black armband in memory of Clive Rice, pitches the ball up and is driven off the back foot for three by Nathan Lyon - it would have been four but for Ben Stokes' fine fielding on the boundary. Next ball is clobbered down the ground for four by Josh Hazlewood.

JS5: *returns to office after six hours of meetings; visits BBC Cricket; big vein in head bursts*

James Turrell: What a way to bounce back after shambles at Lord's. Jimmy Anderson unplayable today, Finn did the early work and Broad is cleaning up.

Phil Smyth: Top plan by England to play so poorly at Lord's. Australia came into two out of three Tests over-confident and have paid the price.

Here is a target for Ian Bell to aim for...

"No Warwickshire player has made a Test match 100 at Edgbaston. The highest score by a Warwickshire player in a Test at this ground is 95 by Brian Lara for the West Indies."

Nathan Lyon plays a horrible swish outside off stump. Then delivers an "ooohhh" in sync with the crowd who must be thinking this is the best way to spend any Wednesday afternoon.

Adam Lyth stands pensive in the slip cordon. What's going through his head right now? Alastair Cook has more pressing matters as he tries to prise one more wicket.

"Not the innings that Michael Clarke would have expected after winning the toss. I agree with Geoffrey, you need to be positive in either playing or leaving the ball. We saw Voges out and now Starc in similar ways. England have their tails up and you can hear the crowd behind them."

Mitchell Johnson must be prowling round the Australian dressing room like a caged tiger. He'll be running in hard shortly, no doubt. Wicket-maiden for Stuart Broad.

Phil in Bristol: I'm really enjoying the cricket, and especially the wicket alerts on the BBC Sport app. Would be even better if the sound it made could be modified to be an authentic death rattle.

David Butler: Reminding me of the 1997 game when Caddick and Gough cleaned the Aussies up on the first day. But who's going to make the Nasser Hussain double hundred? Stand up Ian Bell please.

W.H. Clark: Careful now England fans. Homer Simpson's life is evidence that a "woohoo" is often followed closely by a "d'oh!"

Steve Unger: ‏Grasping at straws now but at least the Aus score is higher than England's last score so we know we can bowl you out for less

Harpreet bath: ‏If this is how Aus bat on this wicket, imagine what England will do! #doubledigits

England will be hoping to replicate the type of dominance they achieved on the first day at the MCG in 2010. They bowled out the Aussies for 99 and then raced to 157-0 at the close. There's still more than 60 overs left in the day as Josh Hazlewood flashes four over the slips. He does the same to end the over. Jimmy's frustrated. No need to be.

"Today was such a big day for England to get back on the horse. The pitch has done more than anyone expected but Australia have gifted it to England."

Just the tailenders stopping England from a bat in the afternoon sun now. Stuart Broad is round the wicket to the left-handed Mitchell Starc who just about survives the rest of the over.

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"Rogers' reaction shows that he knows he has played across a straight one. He played well but it is a good angle around the wicket from Broad. It didn't do a great deal but Rogers just tried to play it a bit too square on the on side. This game is moving along fast."

"It's a bit of a banter-fest in the TMS box at the moment with Geoffrey Boycott winding up Jim Maxwell about how England at least managed to bat for 37 overs at Lord's. Elsewhere in the press box, weekend plans are being swiftly revised. 'Any decent cycle routes in the Birmingham area?' chirps one hack."

Three reds and Chris Rogers is on his bike. He must be furious. Before that delivery, he looked quite annoyed as he gestured to a spectator to move from in front of the sightscreen. Did it affect his concentration?

But Chris Rogers reviews it...

James Anderson has been given a warning for running on the pitch. Two more and he can't bowl again in this innings.

Mitchell Starc plays a bit of a slog at James Anderson which brings four through the off side. There's only so many times you can do that in these conditions and survive to tell the tale, mind.

"Rogers' innings is proof that the pitch is OK. He has played some lovely drives down the ground and punched a few through the covers."

Before we get carried away, I should let you know that Mitchell Starc's highest Test score is 99 and he has four Test half-centuries to his name. He is nibbling at James Anderson outside off stump here though.

"There has been some poor judgement and stroke play from Australia. I don't think they have had the application to dig in. They have given England the perfect start to the Test match. If Australia can get to 170 from here they will be delighted."

Ironic cheers as Australia bring up their 100. Chris Rogers looks like he might try and score some quick runs - playing a wild swish outside off stump. Stuart Broad has his hands on his head.

Andrew: Just suppose Chris Rogers scored another 50 while the tail enders added 10. Then we'd be about to break the oldest record in Test cricket for highest proportion of innings by a single batsman. Early days but here's where you heard it first!

Top shout Andrew. The record is 67.3%, held by Australia's Charles Bannerman, who scored 165 not out in a total of 245 in the very first ever Test match in 1877. So if Rogers were to make 100, and Australia were all out for 148 or less, the record would indeed be broken.

First ball after the break and Mitchell Starc leaves it. The ball misses his off stump by the width of a baby's toenail. Little toe at that.

Harry Northrop: Everyone worried about England's top order on this pitch. Rogers is giving England the key to the puzzle - shot selection.

The Australian batsmen stride out after the rain delay. Be quick if you want to catch them.

PACopyright: PA

"Our Australian friends in the crowd are sat down below us and are all decked out in thick, yellow rain coats, like sowesters. This is our summer, this is as good as it gets!"

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Ralph Brooker: Loving this. Absolutely loving it. All Kevin Keegany. Fire with fire. Delighted for the long suffering Finny. Enjoying Tuffers' evil laughs too.

Chris Parry in Aberdeen: Chris Rogers is showing his many years of County experience here on a bowler-friendly wicket. Do your best to survive the unplayable deliveries, then score runs off the loose deliveries. Class player.

"Good bowling by England and poor batting by Australia. You need to adapt to the situation. They simply shouldn't be in this position. England will be happy about this but if you are asking me neutrally all I can say is that the Aussies have been poor."

Good call, James. Sounds ridiculous but it's something I can imagine Michael Clarke doing. It would certainly un-nerve England.

James Hand: Wonder how tempted Australia are to give up now, declare, and make England bat out the difficult few overs before tea

Paul Butler: Anybody else rather not get Aus out toooo soon to reduce the time we have to bat in these bowler-friendly conditions?

Jim Price: ‏If England can perform as we usually do and get to 50-3 when we bat, we'll be in a great position...

Right, we'll restart at 15:15 BST. Don't go anywhere...

"This is not a desperate pitch. It has just moved enough and every time a chance has been created it has been taken. There is carry and that is the beauty of good a cricket pitch. It makes the cricket so much more exciting. How long the game will go, we will wait and see?"

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Apologies if your phone has been beeping a lot today. It's not PPI phone calls. Just the clatter of Australian wickets.

If that's music to your ears, and you don't already have our mobile wicket alerts, find out more here.

The last man to carry his bat through a completed innings of an Ashes Test was Geoffrey Boycott, who made 99 not out from 215 at Perth in 1979.

The last Australian to do so in the Ashes was captain Bill Lawry, who made 60 not out from 116 at Sydney in 1971.

Might Chris Rogers threaten that record today?

Let us help you with that one, Louise...

Louise Lee: When was the last time an opening batsman remained not out until the end, without scoring a century?

Ever the optimist...

"Do you think we have got enough?!"

Darren Lehmann stands on the balcony as the players leave the pitch, applauding Chris Rogers while throwing out the type of look which could turn a man to stone. He's livid.

He doesn't have much need for a hairdryer, but he could do with borrowing one now - his boys are going to get a rollicking.

Only the rain can save Australia it seems. The players are off the pitch again. Hopefully just enough time for James Anderson to refuel.

Vincent Hefter: All this talk of Bell batting at three was obviously premature. It'll probably be 3:45.

One thing which has struck me today is how the Edgbaston crowd has become a part of this Test. I hate that "12th man" saying but there is no other way to describe it today. Australia must feel like they've been thrown into a coliseum against these English lions such is the cacophony of noise generated by each wicket, nibble outside off stump and leading edge. Adam Lyth almost gets himself on the scorecard in Jimmy's 11th over but the ball falls just short at fourth slip.

"Rogers has nine 50s in his last 11 innings. He also has a 50 in one of the innings of his last seven Ashes Tests."

I should really tell you that Mitchell Starc is the new man to the crease. I don't want to miss my opportunity...

He must've thought his day would be about sleeping, crosswords and massages when Captain Clarke called correctly this morning.

"The flat tracks, like at Lord's, are no good. They don't get our best bowlers in the game. These are the tracks we need. I know it means the England batsmen will find it tougher but they will just have to improve."

Plucky, courageous stuff from Chris Rogers who brings up his 13th Test 50 and seventh against England with more runs through the off side. That's 15 now which have come in the cover region.

On Twitter: "If you are going to miss a day's Test cricket for emergency wisdom tooth removal, this probably isn't the one."

Tom will be at Edgbaston for us tomorrow, dentist's drill permitting...

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James Anderson has his 18th Test five-wicket haul in the bag - and we're less than 30 overs into the first day. Stuart Broad into the attack and Chris Rogers gets a leading edge for two.

Trevor Trevor Trevor: Slow down chaps! I've got tickets for Saturday!

Christophe Talbotski: Bit concerned at this not lasting three days, not only have tickets for Saturday but also hula girl outfits may go to waste!

xkcd: Have all the bowlers in this Ashes series got shares in golf courses? They seem determined to not let a match last five days!

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

"Johnson didn't need to play it. But it was lovely bowling. It just left him a fraction and once he was committed he had no choice but to play. I've seen Jimmy be much more dangerous but you give him something to work with against poor batting and it is a licence to kill."

"If England bowl Australia out cheaply - as looks likely - it makes it more difficult for the Australia bowlers, who will strive for wickets but will need to be somewhat defensive. It puts them in two minds."

Chris... that's my favourite email of the day. You little ripper!

Chris Rogers helps himself to four down to third man. He's got 24,307 first-class runs to his name - he's seen it all before. Steven Finn continues with the short stuff which the left-hander keeps ducking beneath. A real battle out there now.

Chris in Sheffield: Walking through Sheffield city centre listening to cricket on my headphones. Suddenly England get another wicket…I instinctively do a little Tim Henman-esque fist clench in response to the wicket being taken. Then, out of nowhere, an elderly gentleman bounded up to me and asked what was going on in the cricket. You should have seen the delight on his face when I told him that Jimmy had got Voges, Marsh and Neville in quick succession!

"You little ripper!" he said. Indeed. You little ripper.

"Tails. We'll bat first."

Michael Clarke must be regretting those words now. This is his Nasser Hussain-like Gabba moment.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

"The wobble-seam delivery from Anderson. He has taken a few away from Nevill but left that one on off stump line. It is a brilliant ball and Anderson is on a roll. Top of off on a wicket like this and that is exactly what he has done."

This is the type of cricket which can inspire a generation. James Anderson greets Mitchell Johnson with an inswinging yorker which the left-armer digs out.

JP in London: So going by the furore last week I assume this is the 'end of Australian cricket' after this one poor innings? Maybe we should all calm down and take each match as an individual case. Aussies barely threatened in the first Test after all.

Here comes big, bad Mitch. Of the Johnson variety.

"Every ball looks like a firework at the moment."

It's like watching a master craftsman at work. James Anderson has the ball on a string, as though he can land it where he wants and swing it where he wants. Chris Rogers is battling though, displaying Steve Waugh-like grit to try and repel the English attack. When he gets chance to drive, it looks like he's belted the ball through the covers only for Ben Stokes to pull out some superb fielding to limit the shot to a single.

Russell Dicker: ‏Now this is what happens when you produce a proper 'English' Test wicket

Sue: ‏Steady now, boys, let's not get them all out *too* quickly - let the wicket turn in favour of the batsmen first...

Amanda Rutter: Australia wickets tumbling! I'm terrified about watching our top order batsmen on this pitch!

The Australian supporters, to a man, are huddled beneath their fluorescent rain macs. Birmingham's a miserable place when your team is 85-5 and Steven Finn is bowling worldy after worldy. This time it's Peter Nevill groping hopelessly outside off stump.

"He is very fidgety is Rogers. It may be worth getting a short leg in there and giving him a bit of the old chin music. Finn is charging in and bowling good heat. He is very loose after lunch."

Steven Finn is charging in now, almost knocking the wicketkeeper's head off with a lifter which Chris Rogers can only dream about getting bat upon. He's as fast and mean as anyone in this mood. Unplayable.

Mart in Hull: Still do not feel 100% sure England will get a decent score even if we do roll Australia out for under 200. Both teams have their faults, just seems to me Australia still have the edge over us.

James Anderson barely smiles on the cricket field, but I bet he's as giddy as a kid in a sweet shop beneath that steely, champion-like exterior. The Australian batsmen are like bowling pins on a day like today - line them up and Jimmy'll skittle them.

"Poor old Brad Haddin. When Adam Voges was out, it was the 37-year-old deposed wicketkeeper who traipsed out to bring Chris Rogers a drink and a towel. Ever the team man, but it can't be easy when you've been a lynchpin of the side for long to suddenly be reduced to such servile status."

Peter Nevill is next in. How Australia must wish they'd selected Brad Haddin now.

"Poor shot by Marsh. It was wide, it was full; a lure ball. It was too early in his innings and he got a big healthy nick to Jos Buttler. Not the best bit of batting from Mr Marsh."

"Rogers has played that drive through cover well this summer. There isn't a lot of foot movement, he almost goes with his head, but he has been nailing it."

Steven Finn is all over Chris Rogers here - a couple of play and misses outside off stump sandwiched between a pitched-up delivery which gets the treatment and is driven to the cover boundary. Another short ball follows and Rogers takes evasive action, again taking his eye off the ball as it sails over his head.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Evan Samuel: From bad to worse. Adam, what were you thinking?

Elliott Bewley: And if you look closely, you can see a little bit of steam coming from the Burnley Express

Robert Hough: Need Broad to join the wicket taking party now.

Mitchell Marsh is the new man to the crease, and he watches from the non-striker's end as Steven Finn bowls a sharp bouncer to Chris Rogers which the batsman ducks beneath. That was Mitchell Johnson-esque. Fight fire with fire.

"Strange shot by Voges, he almost tries to leave the delivery but didn't withdraw the blade. He's whacking his bat on his pad, it's a soft dismissal and he knows it."

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"If he's on form, Finn, he's as good as there is. Tall, quick, with a good bouncer, and it's coming out of the hand beautifully with a good seam position. Keep hammering away at that length just outside off stump."

Steven Finn is bowling very, very well here. This might have been a good toss to lose for England. Under leaden skies, the 6ft 7ins Middlesex man is getting noticeable movement and enough bounce to tickle the batsman's armpits when they shoulder arms.

Five dots, but he spoils it with a leg-side gimme which is helped for four by Adam Voges. The bowler collects his cap from the umpire and curses himself.

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"England emerge first from the dressing-room and immediately link arms in a huddle. Stuart Broad says a few words, followed by Cook. The floodlights are on already although it looks as though blue may soon outweigh grey in the Birmingham sky. Stands filling fast, can the Steven Finn resurrection continue apace?"

On the money straight away. Steven Finn bowls a nice length, gets some bounce, gets some movement, Adam Voges plays an extravagant leave.

The lights are still on, but the rain has gone. Steven Finn will get us under way after the lunch break.

We have players. We will soon have play. Here come the Aussie batsmen. Let's remind ourselves of the score...

"Apparently during the Trent Bridge Test in 2005, at a church in Suffolk, there was an organist who was playing a rather mournful dirge as the congregation came in for evensong as England were doing badly and he was listening to TMS up in the organ loft. Then, when Matthew Hoggard hit that four off Brett Lee, he broke into the Hallelujah Chorus and the congregation applauded!"

Watch Simon Hughes look back at 2005 in this video on the BBC Sport website.

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Have they changed the snack supplier at Edgbaston?

Garry Calver: I am totally blind and listened to the last morning sitting on the patio with an earpiece in. I was totally absorbed and was not aware that my wife, Alison, who was recovering from a severely sprained ankle, was gardening two or three feet from my seat. For her there was total silence. It did not do her ankle any good when I suddenly erupted from my seat bellowing in triumph. Her attempts to tell me off were a complete waste of time!

"We always felt as broadcasters that cricket always had a month-long window each summer before the new Premier League season started in August. But it really took off, and by the fourth Test, we had nine to 10 million people watching [on Channel 4]."

Michael Vaughan, on TMS, says he watched the whole 2005 series on television recently, with his daughter. Her response: "I didn't know you played that much, Daddy." Brilliant.

"The last wicket was a moment in itself. When I was in the truck, about seven minutes after the euphoria had died down I was asked to look at it again because someone said he didn't think it was out. If Australia had a review (there was no DRS then) they could have reviewed it and it wouldn't have been out."

Andrew Mason in Ilkley: I was on a survey ship coming into Aberdeen harbour as the match was reaching its climax. Every person on the boat who wasn't needed was crammed into the TV lounge watching and biting their nails as it came down to the wire. Unfortunately our satellite dish only worked when the boat was pointing in certain directions. With ten balls to go the boat turned, and we were left with the dreaded blue screen of death! After what seemed like an agonising eternity, the telly came back about three seconds before Harmison bowled his last delivery. In the space of about five seconds we went from complete despair to euphoria!

"There was a period when Australia was winning with so much formality even the newspapers were getting bored writing about it. It needed a defeat to get things going. It was the best injection English cricket had for years that victory at Edgbaston."

Barry Rose: I was in Florida, no coverage so phoned friend to put his phone up against radio to listen to TMS - £500 phone bill, worth it.

Rachel T: In 2005 I made my 4 month old daughter & 2 year old son cry when I wildly celebrated every wicket - today they join in!

So, we've got 10 minutes left to continue looking back on Edgbaston 2005...

We have news. We will restart at 14:05 BST and tea has been delayed until 16:30 BST.

The super sopper is doing its work on the Edgbaston outfield and there's a few tractors dragging a rope about. I think it's being driven by a member of the groundstaff and not just a local farmer cutting through during the rain break.

BBC Weather's Matt Taylor: "Further showers developing upwind of Edgbaston will continue to come close through the rest of this afternoon, so whilst play may resume, there's potential for further interruptions. Staying cool in the northwest breeze."

BBCCopyright: BBC

Just joining us? Bad news, I'm afarid. It's raining! So, we're having a nostalgic look back on Edgbaston 2005 with TMS. Here's the lunch-time scoreboard.

Australia 72-3 (19 overs) - England won toss

Not out batsmen: Rogers 35 (54), Voges 12 (26)

Fall of wickets: 7-1 (Warner 2), 18-2 (Smith 7), 34-3 (Clarke 10).

Bowling: Anderson 6-2-14-1, Broad 7-1-27-0, Finn 6-0-25-2.

Full scorecard

"I was upset at Lord's because I didn't think we'd played to our potential but at Edgbaston, while I wouldn't have been happy to lose, I was glad we'd played well. I was pretty calm on the pitch. I only fretted when we weren't delivering a plan.

"As soon as it got to 30 runs needed, Australia started to think about winning and that is a different pressure than before that point when they were swinging the bat at it."

"I occasionally watch the DVD of that last day at Edgbaston and I still can't believe the ending. It brought a lot of people together. The memories are happy ones. It seems to have had a bonding effect."

It seems like an opportune moment to use today's #QSTeaser from @QuestionofSport - The last time an Ashes Test was played at Edgbaston, who were the five players with five-letter surnames?

Tony in the South Pacific: I had not seen any cricket since moving to Espiritu Santo in the South West Pacific in 1994. I attended a meeting in Port Vila, Vanuatu and stayed overnight with a Persian family - they had satellite TV but absolutely no idea about cricket. My enthusiasm convinced them to tune in. We caught that last breath taking half-hour. My host, intrigued by my fascination, teasingly said he would give me 5,000 vatu (about £25) if England won. The whole family roared with me when the final wicket fell - and I was given the 5,000 vatu. We still laugh about that wonderful moment in time whenever we meet. Never to be forgotten.

The Edgbaston 05 nostalgia on TMS is very good though. I remember being in my front room and jumping around in the manner usually reserved for my football team scoring a goal when that final wicket fell. It's hard not to think of that series and not break into a massive smile. What a series.

Thanks Stephan. Unfortunately you are correct... we are going to be delayed. The covers are on, the skies are grey and there's more brollies on display than in the lost property corner of my local pub. You don't want to know what else is there.

Hmmm... the covers are coming on, probably to delay the afternoon session. Seems like a good time to leave you in the hands of Marc Higginson.

Jarleth Eaton: I was on a plane heading home from Lanzarote! First thing I asked when home: 'did England win?' Needless to say when I found out, my 11 year old self ran around Birmingham airport like mad!

Amanda Rutter: In 2005, I was able to watch the Edgbaston match in its entirety thanks to recovering from surgery! Couldn't jump around too much!

Will Burton: ‏I was on hols in France, sat in the car listening to TMS on longwave. One min after Jones' catch the battery went flat!!

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Not able to follow the cricket all day? Don't worry... you won't miss a single Australian wicket fall if you activate the alerts on the BBC Sport app. More info on that here.

Christian in London: I was working at weekend job on Oxford Street that summer. I left my parents' house in Welwyn Garden City that morning with Australia eight down, disappointed that I would not get to witness England's victory.

I arrived at work just before midday, and to my amazement, as I walked past the TV section of the shop, I saw that not only were Australia still batting, but were only three runs from victory! The shop opened at midday, and so a trickle of customers was beginning to slowly emerge up the escalator, and each proceeded to stop and stare dumbfounded at the television as they saw the score.

A small crowd of us had gathered around by the time Harmison took that final wicket, upon which we all proceeded to shout and scream and jump around like idiots. One or two people hugged each other. A beautifully surreal moment!

"Steve Harmison has never bowled a slower ball before that one to get out Michael Clarke and he never has since. And when you watch it back it is so obvious. He retired that ball after getting Clarke out."

Michael Perren: Plying my trade as a shelf-stacker in the local South Shields branch of a popular supermarket chain in my teenage years, I went AWOL from the 'chilled-provisions' aisle which was my station to join six or seven AWOL fathers/husbands in the 'electrical' aisle to gather round a 16-inch portable tuned into the cricket (on mute). We never gave up hope and after the finger had been raised for the 10th time that innings we embraced as brothers. Then I went back to stacking cheese...

"The noise of the crowd for Flintoff's over was like a striker scoring the winning goal in the last minute of a cup final. It was not a cricket crowd noise. It gets you going."

David Foster: 2005: On holiday, sleeping off a hangover assuming @englandcricket had the game won - woken up by screams when Kasprowicz was out!

glebefieldallotment: Edgbaston 10 years ago was the moment I changed from a bemused and confused Irishman into a huge Test cricket fan

Tony Brennan: Edgbaston 2005. On honeymoon in Venice. Left beautiful new wife alone in restaurant to check score in Internet cafe across piazza

"Every time I felt the crowd was flat I would throw the ball to Flintoff and immediately the crowd would erupt in song."

Max Hasler: I was working on a farm as part of a summer job. At the moment Geraint Jones took the catch I was driving a tractor in a field and was so elated that I leaped out of the tractor cab into the field, forgetting that the engine was still running. I had to recover myself quickly, dash after the slowly moving vehicle and stop it before it crashed into a nearby wall.

Gregor: I was on a plane from London to Inverness, when the captain told everyone mid-flight - huge cheers

Matt G: Where was I? In the Raglan Stand hoisting my then 18-stone+ Dad aloft like a trophy in a celebration that cost him his beer!!

Arun Lakhani: I was sitting on the floor in my front room in my pyjamas with a cup of tea, jones took the catch and tea went everywhere!!

"The second innings I look back and I think we panicked. It also showed me at the end of the Test just how great a team Australia were. They'd lost McGrath before the match but still got so close to winning."

During the lunch interval, TMS are looking back at the thrilling 2005 Ashes Test at Edgbaston, which England won by two runs...

"There were a host of superb moments during that Test. The Flintoff over of course. And then the Warne ball that got Strauss out that turned so much it didn't register on DRS."

Bill in Sussex: At 13 I had to wait an hour an half after football training for my dad who was unable to pull himself from the TV. Still haven't forgiven him!

Jim in Sheffield: I was in a bar in Ibiza having just been the doctor for an injection to cure chronic prickly heat. I arrived at the bar in time to see the conclusion of the Test and the pain relief Geraint Jones provided was instant and better than any injection.

BBCCopyright: BBC

"The Edgbaston concourses are helping out with the 2005 nostalgia-fest. Remember this iconic image of Freddie Flintoff consoling Brett Lee moments after England's two-run victory?"

Just to remind you, during the lunch break Test Match Special is taking a look back at that iconic Edgbaston Ashes Test of 10 years ago. You can keep sending us your memories of that match too.

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Australia 72-3 (19 overs) - England won toss

Not out batsmen: Rogers 35 (54), Voges 12 (26)

Fall of wickets: 7-1 (Warner 2), 18-2 (Smith 7), 34-3 (Clarke 10).

Bowling: Anderson 6-2-14-1, Broad 7-1-27-0, Finn 6-0-25-2.

Full scorecard

"There has been a lot made of the wickets this series has been played on but this looks back to a normal English wicket. England made the most of that early on but in the second hour it flattened down a bit and Rogers and Voges have got Australia back. It is England's session, though."

Chris Rogers clips the final ball of the session through mid-wicket for four, but it has been England's morning. Michael Clarke opted to bat, but it seemed like conditions would help the bowlers and England have exploited them. One for James Anderson, two for a rejuvenated Steven Finn, before a Rogers-Voges fightback.

Broad with the final over before the break, a very short, straight mid-on posted for Voges. Seam movement back into the right-hander, who does some jumping about, then is hit on the pads to draw a very polite appeal from Adam Lyth. One ball to go...

Chris: I missed seven and a half hours of the Test under anaesthetic undergoing a triple heart bypass. I came around with tubes sticking out of me everywhere in the intensive care ward.

The nurse rushed over to ask if she could get me anything. "The Test Score please," I said. What a tonic. I was home within four days for the rest of the fantastic series. England have obviously continued putting strain on the old ticker ever since.

Rogers wastes time a pretty decent way - with a pull for four. There will still be another over, though.

Matt in Twickenham: Being the pessimistic England cricket supporter (apologies for putting a downer on the great start), let's cast our minds back to the first Test when England were 3 down early on and managed to win! Let's not count our chickens before they hatch, as well all know this England cricket team can blow hot and cold in a session!

Luke in Aylesbury: Not sure that you will be describing the English batsmen as lions later on...I am pretty sure the Aussie bowlers will be liking what they are seeing.

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Odd field for Finn to Rogers, no mid-on, through which Rogers takes three. The first audible strains from the trumpeter as Voges gets himself underneath a bumper as four men in questionable ladies' hats watch on. One ball to go in this Finn over. Can Australia dally enough to take us to the break? It's a long shot...

"This wicket is very English. I played a full season with Worcester over here and there is a length you need to bowl on wickets like this, just short of a length. England wanted an English wicket and they have got it."

Broad to the tall, slender figure of Voges, four slips waiting to be fed. Voges, sleeveless sweater, bits of luminous yellow on his kit, gets a guide to third man away for a couple. More sunshine, more good stuff from Broad, but Australia continuing to navigate their way to the break. Might only be one more. No more than two.

John Hetherington: Desperate for the toilet but worried if I move that I might distract Chris Rogers even though I'm 100 miles away

Rogers still shuffles, jumps and somehow manages to get the ball away. A drive for four off Finn is followed by a leaping inside edge into the gut. "Ooofff" is the sound he makes, followed by a play and miss and an adjustment of the box. So much fiddling going on behind that ancient armguard. Bluer sky ahead, fewer alarms for Australia since the rain.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Where were you when Geraint Jones took that catch at Edgbaston in 2005? During the lunch break today, Test Match Special are producing a special programme looking back at that game, with contributions of both the players involved and you good people.

You can send them to us via the usual channels - #bbccricket on Twitter, send a text to 81111 or email tms@bbc.co.uk

Still Broad, good line outside Voges' off stump. Three Aussies in bright yellow spot themselves on the big screen and give a wave. What's the right response in that situation? Wave? Indifference? Lovely from Voges, a straight drive just beats the chase and dive of Jonny Bairstow.

APCopyright: AP

"England will be desperate to get rid of Rogers. He has been the glue of the Australian order this series."

Comeback kid Steve Finn, a ring of blue tape on his left index finger, steams in to a pair of batsmen he will know from Middlesex. Chris Rogers, jumpy all morning, remains, still scoring runs behind square on the off side, just as he did at Lord's. A squirt evades the dive of Ben Stokes and runs for four.

"As the Test continues the pitch will get better. We have already seen some decent carry. If you bowl it full the ball will just kiss the surface. It feels like the kind of day that you keep your bowling basic, hit the top of off stump and get batsmen driving."

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

I can see why Rogers is so keen not to be distracted by movements behind Broad - the ball is nipping off the seam at 83mph. Frank Skinner is in the ground, no sign of his fellow Brummie comic Jasper Carrott. Yet.

Paul in Birmingham: One hour of cricket, Finn removes two of Oz's finest and now it looks like the selectors will have an entirely different problem before Trent Bridge!

Dan Williams: You've got to feel sorry for Mark Wood, done great so far for England but may struggle for a game when he regains fitness.

Before Broad can bowl the ball, Rogers is twice distracted by movement behind the arm. Fussy.

Right then, enough of this taking shelter from the rain nonsense. Chris Rogers and Adam Voges, the strawberry blond veterans, are back out for a tricky 25 minutes before lunch. Can England keep making this ball sing? Stuart Broad is massaging its vocal chords.

Rich Harley: ‏Work has ground to a halt as we create Cricket related emoji to use in internal comms. Boycott looking disapproving a favourite

Only the hovercover remains as we wait for the return of the players. A group of Aussie fans, decked out in yellow are, to a man, wearing coats thick enough for a trip to the North Pole. What are they going to do when it gets cold?

"Australia have some wonderful cricketers but they have not played well this morning. If I was an Aussie batsman I would have gone into the changing room after being out and called myself an idiot. This afternoon is a different ball game as the ball loses shine, but you have to work hard to get to that."

Steven Finn, by the way, has a Test match strike-rate of a wicket every 47.4 deliveries. That's better than every England bowler to have sent down a minimum of 2,000 balls since 1959.

Ian in Cheshunt: Someone slap me, pour two buckets of ice cold water over me and please ask my gorgeous wife to stop kissing me. Am I dreaming? Just woke up and opened an eye on the BBC website. First thought: oh no Lords was bad. What in the holiest Lord God's name: 34-3? Who on this earth could have predicted that start? Please let me dream some more.

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There you have it, the Birmingham rain is not enough to keep us off for long. The Australians will be summoned back to the Colosseum in about 15 minutes. The England lions are currently on raw meat in the dressing room.

"Finn is a huge bonus for Cook. He has a new man back in who is excelling and loving the experience again. Coming from his height, the yorker is more dangerous if you can get it right. He is not as quick as Joel Garner but his yorker, from his height, was a tremendous weapon."

The covers are coming off, the white sheets surrounding the track being peeled back. The Aussie rain dance must have ended.

Alistair Johnson: Fate would appear to be conspiring against us. Definitely don't need the rain.

BÖÖM!: Rain saves Aussies.

Johnny Raine: Not quite as quick and efficient as Wimbledon.

"I think England have bowled very well in the conditions and Australia have batted poorly. It has done a little bit - a few balls have bounced alarmingly - but other than that it has just done a bit.

"The technique of the Aussie batsmen was poor. One of them was yorked. Clarke was yapping back at the England bowlers and he lost his concentration. And some of the footwork has been terrible."

While it's raining, allow me to get carried away. In the 1997 Edgbaston Ashes Test, Australia won the toss and batted first. They were bowled out for 118.

Sam Shepherd:‏ I keep getting notifications that England are taking wickets. I think your system is broken

Stephen Goss: Is the live reporting broken? It's saying Australia are 34-3 that can't be right surely

Martin Robert: ‏34-3, it is Australia batting right?

The hovercover is on to the wicket, with white sheets in place to protect the rest of the square. I doubt we'll be off for long, most of the crowd remain in their seats.

Evan Samuel: England selectors now sitting back in comfy chairs with brandy and cigars: "We got that one right, chaps..

Ben Dalton: Thirty-something for three? Not aga...wait, Australia?!

Steve Porter: Was disappointed Wood wasn't fit, Finn's doing his best to help me get over that!

And now that black cloud is emptying to force us off. Australia's batsmen into the pavilion quicker than Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin.

"He got a lot of bat on that and Stokes dived full to his right and couldn't quite get it. It is not really a chance but it shows there are a lot of nerves."

Close! Stuart Broad back into the attack, loose drive from Chris Rogers, just over the leap of Ben Stokes at point. Think Paul Collingwood's stunning catch to get rid of Matthew Hayden in a 2005 ODI. Not quite.

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"Michael Clarke's last 12 Ashes innings have seen him score 192 at 19.2 a best of 38."

Finn was striving to the crease, arms high, yorker-length on middle stump. Clarke simply missed it. 87mph. 34-3. Are you England is disguise? Adam Voges the new man, menacing black cloud up above. End of the over, Finn getting high fives and more rapturous applause.

"It is a yorker and Clarke has missed it. It is a perfect yorker, right in the popping crease and under the bat and he didn't get his bat down in time. You don't see that so often. It is a great start for England and for Finn."

Anderson a little off the boil in this set, leggy to Clarke for four leg byes, another loose delivery to Rogers sees more runs off the pads. Ooooffff! How has Clarke got away with this? In-swinger, the skipper trying to leave it, not getting the bat out of the way in time and somehow getting four through the slips. Then an edge! Between the slips and gully for four more. Worth another catcher, Alastair?

Mike Hodder: Any other Brummie just a little proud that the vocal Edgbaston crowd is so often considered a benefit for England?

Andrew Foster: Great to see the Aussies up against a proper hostile home crowd finally. We should be playing at Headingley and Old Trafford too

Will Aitkenhead: Four of the last five Edgbaston tests with a result (not drawn) won by the side bowling first. Good toss to lose?

Sunshine for the first time as Finn returns his dark hair and long limbs to his mile-long run-up. There's catchers swarming all around Michael Clarke, who gets away with a well-taken single on the off side. Ten overs gone, the morning belonging to England. Finn returns to long leg, applauded all the way by a crowd invested in the action.

"Birmingham is bouncing! As Steven Finn is swamped by his jubilant team-mates and Steve Smith trudges off, the Hollies Stand launches into a chant of 'Cheerio, cheerio, cheerio' to the tune of 'Here we go'. England's body language could not be in starker contrast to what it was at this same point at Lord's when Australia were piling on the runs on a flat pitch. Fielders are on their toes and clapping every ball, bowlers are marching purposely back to their marks, revelling in their current supremacy on this spicy pitch."

James Anderson is giving Chris Rogers a right going over, moving the ball away from the left-hander, with Rogers having no idea whether to play or not. The result is a number of wafts outside off stump, Rogers lucky not to get an edge. England well, well on top.

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Adam McGonnell: Steven Finn You Beauty

Sean Lamb: Hugeeeee wicket

Harry Hopwood: Brilliant for Steven Finn! Hopefully the extra bounce he generates on a faster pitch could cause some problems for Australia

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Useless fact? Steven Finn's last Test wicket was also an Australia number three - Ed Cowan at Trent Bridge in 2013. Australia captain Michael Clarke, one of only two survivors from Edgbaston 2005, is the new man.

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"I was just mentioning that Steven Smith was on the move. Well he is now. He should have gone forward to that and it catches the edge after a bit of seam movement. It was a good catch by Cook, low down.

"This is the perfect start from England after losing the toss. They are getting the most out of this pitch."

Now then. Welcome back, Steven Finn..

Tune into TMS at lunch for more nostalgic chat about Edgbaston 2005.

Play that! Anderson sprints his quiff towards Rogers, back of a length, zipping off the pitch and just going past the rapidly dropping gloves of the left-hander. Next ball, full, no feet, a squirted drive almost carries to point. The ball is moving in the air and the pitch has pace.

"This is when, as a batsman, you need to know where your off stump is. Be patient, know when to leave and wait for that ball to get old."

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The Test match hum we so often talk about is audible, providing the soundtrack to Stuart Broad's gallop towards Chris Rogers. Tight line from Broad, exploring the area on and around off stump. 85 mph. Another maiden. Good from England.

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"We have talked a lot about the Edgbaston atmosphere and you can feel the crowd. They are very partisan and vocal."

The sky is heavy over a dark-coloured pitch. A stark contrast to the straw-shaded run-fest (when Australia were batting) we had at Lord's. It's a day for layers, rather than sun cream, but the hubbub from the crowd provides warmth. Anderson to Smith, touch too wide. A maiden.

Stephen: Merv can't believe that LBW, nor can he believe that ridiculous moustache that Warner wears.

Chris Lennon: With Shane Watson not around to waste a review on a LBW decision, nice of David Warner to take on that role!

Tim Dart: Has Warner been given Watson's review? #plumb

England are buoyant here, every delivery has the potential to send a man in green back to the hutch. Steve Smith in a horrible position to Broad, then Rogers almost popping a short ball to short leg. A counter-punch pull brings four to long leg. We've had more action in 25 minutes than in the entire first day at Lord's.

"The guttural roar that greeted that wicket was louder than anything I've heard from the crowds at Cardiff or Lord's. The ground is only about three-quarters full so far, but with all 24,500 seats sold out for the first four days, we could be in for some fun and games."

We have a delay. The white sheet acting as an extension of the sightscreen has blown away from the seats that were holding it in place. At an international cricket ground, do we not a more high-tech solution than a white sheet? A member of the groundstaff is having all sorts of problems getting it to stay still. He's had to call for reinforcements.

Michael Glasper: Great start. Come on England!

Andy Gould: Have it! Well done Jimmy.

David Benn: ‏One down, let's knock off another before lunch.

James Anderson is transformed from the bowler that was nullified at Lord's. At the moment it looks like he could swing a chewed orange, fizzing a rozzer past Rogers' outside edge. Dangerous times for the Aussie top order. Want to think about that toss again, skipper?

"It is a good toss to lose at the moment."

Ooooowwwwzzzzattttt?!?!?! Steve Smith's first ball, England asking the question. The Aussie number three is so far across that we can see all three stumps - it has hit him outside the line. All happening.

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"What a breakthrough that is. Fantastic bowling from Anderson. It nipped back off the pitch and Warner didn't move his feet. Plum in front. Steve Smith is crucially in now with the early ball. If England can make the most of these conditions they can really get into the Aussie order."

"Just rock'n'roll that when it goes past the bat..."

Warner given this time! Lbw to Anderson. Nipping back, maybe high? Long chat with Rogers, then he decides he wants another look...

"Chris Rogers is in his 44th Test innings. He has yet to make a duck, which he has avoided again today."

Stuart Broad shares the new ball, four wickets away from becoming the fifth England Test bowler to reach 300. Broad, blond hair slicked back, gets the dark nut full to Rogers, but leg side, allowing a clip for four through mid-wicket. Broad is wearing a black armband - presumably for Clive Rice - while the first celeb spot of the day has Merv Hughes behind a pair of shades.

"The pitch looks pretty dry. There is a tinge of green and some cracks. That first hour and a half will be tricky for Australia but England need to make them play and they need to hold on to every chance that comes their way."

The run out chance had shades of Jonathan Trott and Simon Katich at Adelaide in 2010, but Broad's throw was similar to Andrew Flintoff at the Oval in 2009. Amidst all that, the ball is swinging under grey sky, Anderson taking it away from these left-handers. I reiterate that it feels like a bowling morning.

"What a great dive by Warner. It was almost half a pitch. He leapt for his life and it has saved him. He has just got home."

What a start. Second ball of the match, Rogers calling for a single, Warner slow to respond. Broad at mid-on, throwing to striker's end. Warner had to dive, the throw hit, England were celebrating. But the replay shows Warner was well home.

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David Warner surely run out? Stuart Broad direct hit, Warner diving...

Tom Cunliffe: Does listening on a plane to Oslo make me a record holder for highest altitude TMS listener?

Rogers on strike. Three slips and a gully. Crowd already singing Anderson's name. Shift someone from in front of the sightscreen. Play.

Usually, it's a recording of Jerusalem that we hear. At Edgbaston, there's a lady singing. Belting it out, in fact. David Warner and Chris Rogers on to the field, James Anderson has the ball.

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Hang on, false alarm. Covers are off, the umpires are on the way. England are skipping down the steps, through the flags to the sounds of Jerusalem. I tell you what, it seems like a bowling morning.

"Oh dear folks, it's looking like a delayed start here. The Brumbrellas are going up all round the ground and the hover cover has already been deployed to protect the pitch."

However, they may have to wait. There's news from the middle...

Thanks, Marc. It seems like a long time since we've done this, doesn't it?

Cardiff or Lord's, which was a true reflection of the 2015 Ashes? Will the real England cricket team please stand up?

England need wickets early doors, no doubt about that. Allow me to bring Stephan Shemilt to this party.

I'll be seeing you this afternoon.

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Matt Baddeley: Shame that Test cricket these days is so often decided by the toss.

Fenners: Toss lost=Test lost. Ashes is a lottery based on who wins the toss. A better way of deciding who bats first - super over maybe?

Phil Sweet: Given the significance of losing the toss why not award the home team the choice in 3 of the 5 Tests and eliminate the chance?

"Ian Bell has said all the right things. This is his home ground, it is an Ashes Test and he should be up for it. The best Aussie player always wants to bat three. Why shouldn't Bell be happy to be doing that?"

Duncan in Wakefield: Are there any stats available on the most successful captain at winning the toss? If memory serves, I seem to think Strauss was quite successful, Cook not so good...

Jamie, London: Good for England: five of last 10 Tests at Edgbaston have been won by team fielding first. Teams batting first have only won two, with three draws.

"In 2005, England had a quality team that had been playing well for 18 months. That is why 2005 is different to here.

"I'm looking forward to seeing England bat here. It will be a big moment for the rest of the series. They need to show some fight but if they get blown away like at Lord's the series could be over."

Matt Flecknoe: Well it surely can't go any worse than Lord's, England will do better in this Test, hopefully...

Ashley Wells: Fielding first at Edgbaston isn't necessarily a handicap. The side fielding first has won five of the last 10 Tests there.

Paul Peter Miller: Well so be it what better opportunity to reverse the situation after the last Test. Six Aussie wickets by the end of the day.

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Alastair Cook appeared slightly disappointed to lose the toss. He does, however, relish playing at Edgbaston where England have won six and lost just one of their last 10 Test matches.

"It's almost a different atmosphere to anywhere else we play," Cook said. "It would be brilliant to go 2-1 up, and it's certainly an inspiration in one way to know it's possible.

"The crowd really get behind us here. If we get on top, we feel as if we've got an extra man playing for us because of the noise."

BBC Weather's Tomasz Schafernaker on TMS: "There is a chance of some rain at Edgbaston. At the moment it looks like the first shower clouds are approaching Wolverhampton so we could have rain in the next hour and a half.

"After lunch some heavier showers could come through. It will be the next three or fours hours that they crop up.

"Tomorrow should be a cracking day with fewer showers. By the time we get to Friday clouds are increasing bringing chances of rain.

"On Saturday and the weekend it should be dry. But if we are lucky we will get mostly dry weather throughout."

Mic Houghton: ‏Sat waiting in Dubai airport for the start of this pivotal Test. Gonna be a belter!

Malcolm Pearson: Sat on a sun lounger in Egypt awaiting the start of TMS. Could be a classic if we turn up this time!

Sean Lamb: ‏Will be up to around 3am hopefully watching us take the Aussies apart, if not its going to be a very long night!

TMS are now on air, ready for the action. You can listen via this page or online through a variety of devices. Perfect for the office!

England captain Alastair Cook: "We'd have batted, too. It looks a good wicket but hopefully we can exploit any grass on it this morning. We've got to bowl well.

"Belly's a fantastic player with a great record - playing here in front of his home crowd, he's really excited. Hopefully he doesn't get in too early at number three but when he does, he gets runs."

Australia captain Michael Clarke: "It has got a bit of grass on it but it looks a good track for batting. We need to come out here and play our best cricket.

"Chris Rogers has batted well in training and is looking forward to another good innings here.

"We start on zero again today and are going to have to come out and play well regardless of what happened at Lord's."

Robert Hough: Australia win toss and are batting. Uh Oh.

Paul Howard: ‏That's 2-1 Aus then...

Tim Riley: That's that then.

Australia are unchanged - meaning Chris Rogers is fit to open the batting in half an hours' time.

England make two changes - Jonny Bairstow and Steven Finn replacing Gary Ballance and Mark Wood.

Australia win the toss and will bat first.

Tails never fails for Michael, it seems.

Totum: After Froome's French roadside abuse, let's be sporting. Good luck England & good luck Australia too after your freak Lord's win.

On the outfield at the moment, Glenn McGrath is chatting away to Mitchell Johnson. Watch out for any stray balls, Glenn. And Mitchell!

"And so to the latest of our five Ashes clashes in the bear pit of Birmingham's Edgbaston. As the two teams warm up on opposite sides of the outfield, players turned pundits from both countries are lining up around the pitch pointing figures and whispering to each other. From my distant, lofty perch it looks a tad greener than the ones at Cardiff and Lord's, but that's not to say the ball is suddenly going to start shooting sideways. No official word yet as to the England team, but as Steven Finn bounced away from the pre-match huddle, he looked like a man preparing for slightly more strenuous employment than carrying the drinks."

So will England be scarred by Lord's? Joe Root, that little scamp (see 09:48), says not: "Throughout this summer we've always come back from heavy defeats well. There's so much confidence in the camp and we'll be looking to put them back on the back foot on Wednesday."

I imagine the toss will be important in doing that, Joe. If Australia are 300-1 at the end of day one today, England are in big trouble.

AJPS: Tough one, Finn offers extra pace at 90+ mph, but the pitch would suit Wood better, offering some movement.

Joe Bishop: Don't know extent of Wood's injury, but it would be a convenient way to get Finn to play this game. May not be such a bad thing.

Steven Phillips: On paper we look similar to Aussies at batting, it's the bowling that concerns me, lack of genuine spinner and fierce quicks.

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The Test Match Special team will be on the air shortly. Some overseas listeners can tune in here - although please be aware that, for rights reasons, it is not available in certain territories.

So Finn's in. It's hard to believe that he's only 26, he's been around such a long time.

The Middlesex man remains one of the brightest prospects in world cricket - when he gets it right, he can be destructive. In 23 Tests, he has taken 90 wickets. If he brings up the century in this game England will be well on their way to victory.

Flemming Jensen: 'A good wicket, but be selective'........that just fills me with confidence after the disaster that was the Lord's Test.

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In case you missed it, Michael Clarke had a slip of the tongue in his pre-match news conference - saying "sex" instead of "success". The video is here.

Clarke said it's not the first time that's happened. He's right...

Check this out.

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They say you shouldn't change a winning team, which is advice Australia look likely to follow for the third Test. However, former captain Ricky Ponting says his country should have done just that, by jettisoning wicketkeeper Peter Nevill and bringing back in the experienced Brad Haddin, who missed the second Test for personal reasons.

"Hadds has been the heart and soul of the team since taking over from Adam Gilchrist," Ponting wrote in a column in The Australian on Wednesday. "He is a good gloveman, can be an important batsman and he keeps the team on its toes in the field.

"He is a broken finger away from recall so this may not be the end for him, but I suspect we won't see him again and I am a little concerned that the team may miss him more than they expect. I hope I am wrong."

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is your weather forecast for the day. Looks fairly good to me (just the odd shower). The five-day forecast is good too. Check it out in more detail on the BBC Weather page.

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"The Edgbaston pitch doesn't have a lot of bounce so it will be similar to Cardiff in that there won't be massive carry. This will slightly nullify the Australian fast bowlers as they won't be able to get the ball whizzing through like at Lord's.

"There is a little bit of grass on it, which will help bowlers like Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad to get a little bit of movement sideways, which is so important to them.

"They are not the fastest bowlers but they are precise and the Australia batsmen are not particularly good at playing that.

"Basically it is a good batting wicket but one that you have to be selective on, judge the ball well and don't get carried away on. I would bat first, get runs on the board and the pitch will probably deteriorate a bit as the Test goes on."

Simon Alton: I was at the 2005 Edgbaston test on the day Freddie destroyed the Aussies' batting lineup. How we need some of that passion now!

Paul Peter Miller: Ready to watch the English take the Aussie pace men apart, watching throughout the night here in Wanganui NZ.

Australia opener Chris Rogers is hoping to play today - and continue plundering the runs against England.

The 37-year-old said he feared his career might be over after suffering a dizzy spell in the second Test, which occurred two days after he was struck by a James Anderson bouncer.

"If it was concussion, I would have thought that maybe that was it," Rogers said. "Speaking to the specialists, they said it was a completely different injury, so that helped.

"It was a really weird sensation. It just looked like [the pavilion] was going from left to right, and almost like my eyes were jumping. That's why I went off."

The papers are Ashes-dominated this morning, and the Daily Mail has a picture of Joe Root playing a cheeky prank on Stuart Broad. It's good to see the England team is in a relaxed mood.

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Ross Connor: Come on England, lets put those Aussies back in their place. Good luck Jonny Bairstow.

Howard Horner: With Bairstow back in and Finn a possibility, this team feels a bit like a sequel. The 2012 New England Stars, Take 2!

Nick Ball: Bell and Cook 130* each at the end of the day.

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One little quirky stat caught my eye in this build-up to this Test...

It is that England will, for the first time since 2004 and 139 matches ago, field a team without a single player in it who was born in southern Africa.

Andrew Strauss started the chain and Gary Ballance is the end of it. Good stat, right?

In fact, there's a wide range of Ashes-related video and audio on the BBC Sport website:

There's a rewind to the 2005 Edgbaston Test

A preview show looking ahead to this Test, and asking if Ian Bell can regain his form

And Graeme Swann's Ashes Roadshow

Get stuck in.

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That's the big question after all, isn't it? BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James has the answer to this and many more questions in his special Ashes predictions. He's up against The Maccabees' Felix White. Check it out here.

On the Wood and Finn issue, captain Alastair Cook said on Tuesday: "We're a little bit concerned about Mark but we'll make the call tomorrow.

"He's played a huge amount of cricket in the last six months and we have to be careful. With the pitch, Finn will be pushing. He's been bowling well for Middlesex and in one-day cricket."

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I got so carried away talking about the batting line-up, I forgot to mention that England also have doubts over paceman Mark Wood. Steven Finn appears likely to be his replacement, and would be playing his first Test since Trent Bridge in 2013 when he was taken apart by Brad Haddin.

Ironically, Haddin might have played his last game for the Aussies after it was suggested this week that Peter Nevill is going to be their first-choice keeper.