England take early Ashes initiative

First Test, Day One: England 336-7 vs Australia. England and Australia ended the first day of the Ashes series with honours even. Half centuries from Kevin Pietersen (69), Paul Collingwood (64) and Matt Prior (56) had given England a good platform but regular bursts of wickets allowed the tourists back into the game.

The morning session saw the wickets of Alastair Cook (10), captain Andrew Strauss (30) and Ravi Bopara (35) fall, the latter to Aussie dangerman Mitchell Johnson (2-68). Collingwood and Pietersen were untroubled during the afternoon session, but both fell soon after tea, Pietersen to an ill-judged sweep against spinner Nathan Hauritz (1-67).

Prior and Flintoff (37) keep the scoreboard ticking over at almost a run a ball during their 88-run stand for the sixth wicket, but both fell to Peter Siddle (2-93) in the last four overs of the day. England have Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann as their last recognised batsmen who they hope will help them towards 400 this morning.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
Mike Selvey, the Guardian: "The pitch is not as trustworthy as its scrubbed up appearance at the outset perhaps suggested and the outfield is slow. The opening shots from Mitchell Johnson were anticlimactic, giving an early indication of lack of pace and bounce, but attritional seamers operating to appropriate fields will be difficult to get after. More telling perhaps in the longer term was the manner in which his new?ball partner Hilfenhaus felt obliged to kick out the footholes at the end of his second over of the day, the follow-through already scarring up. If England's gut feeling, reinforced by information received, was to include both their spinners in the belief that the surface will offer purchase sooner rather than later and will deteriorate from then on in, then they will have taken heart from this, as much as from the good fortune in winning the toss."

Mike Atherton, the Times: "The cricket itself was not exactly of the blue-blooded variety - there were too many unforced errors for that - but it was, as would be expected on the opening day of an Ashes series, red-blooded. Whether this represents a good return or a missed opportunity, only time will tell, but the suspicion is that the home team will be happy with their day’s work, especially given their habit of starting Ashes series more slowly than a four-mile steeplechaser. Australia would be content to have taken seven wickets having lost the toss, but this pitch has already shown signs of taking spin, England have five bowlers to Australia’s four, two spinners to their one, and Australia must bat last."

Derek Pringle, Daily Telegraph: "Kevin Pietersen has a sore Achilles heel but his real weakness is his habit of getting out when set. It cost England the Test in Kingston last January, their last defeat, and may yet cost them here in the principality, should Australia dismiss them quickly on Thursday. England finished the opening day of the Ashes on 336 for seven - a position both sides professed to be happy with. But when you pick two spinners, as England have done here for the first time in a home Test for 11 years, and then win the toss and bat, it is prudent to get as many runs as possible in your first innings, something Pietersen appeared oblivious to when he was out for 69 playing a sweep shot that Sooty would have been ashamed of." ·