By Chris Devine and Callum Dent at Trent Bridge
England made a solid start with the bat after winning the toss in the first Investec Ashes Test at Trent Bridge.
Despite being challenged by early seam and swing movement, the hosts reached 50 in the 15th over for the loss of one wicket.
Skipper Alastair Cook was the man to go, caught behind driving loosely at James Pattinson with the score on 27.
Australia sprung a surprise with their team selection as they handed a debut to teenage left-arm spinner Ashton Agar, who was given an early bowl by Michael Clarke.
England named Steven Finn as their third seamer, meaning Tim Bresnan and Graham Onions missed out.
Live updates from ECB_Cricket on Twitter
Morning Session
12:24pm - Trott sees a leading edge off Agar fall safely and then survives a very optimistic lbw appeal. Australia’s spinner subsequently loses his line and England profit from four byes.
12:21pm - Siddle draws an indecisive push at fresh air from Root, only for the Yorkshireman to respond with an authoritative clip through midwicket for his fifth four.
12:14pm - Australia debutant Ashton Agar gets an early bowl, but his first delivery in Test cricket is a full bunger that Trott drives effortlessly through cover.
12:11pm - After being kept on 12 for some time, Root gets going again by cutting Starc for four. A slightly less convincing boundary follows for Trott when he edges Siddle wide of second slip and England duly bring up their 50 at the end of the 15th over.
12:01pm - As drinks are taken, here's some news from the Australia camp. David Warner is to link up with his country's A team in Zimbabwe and South Africa in order to gain some match practice. He remains part of Australia's Ashes party.
11:59am - Peter Siddle takes over from Pattinson. The new bowler soon pays the price for straying on to Trott’s pads as England’s number three flicks behind square for his second four. Siddle's next delivery is driven through mid-on and this is a fine start from Trott.
11:51am - Jonathan Trott opens his account in glorious fashion with a confident drive to the cover rope. England are 31 for one after 11 overs. Starc came round the wicket to Root in his last set of six and will continue to do so.
11:40am - WICKET! Cook c Haddin b Pattinson 13; Eng 27/1 - Pattinson is rewarded for his best over yet with the prized scalp of England’s captain. Cook had already been beaten outside off and edged wide of fourth slip for four before getting a thin nick through to Brad Haddin when driving somewhat loosely.
11:27am - Cook is a little fortunate not to lose his off stump when playing and missing at Starc. This looks a good pitch but there is early assistance for Australia’s pacemen, as you would expect on the first morning of a Test. England will be eager to set a solid platform so they can cash in when the ball loses its shine.
11:23am - That will make Root feel better. He gets off the mark, from the 13th ball he has faced, by pulling Pattinson fine for four. The bowler responds well, beating the outside edge with a gorgeous delivery that seamed away late as Root looked to drive. Another four ends the fifth over, England’s new Test opener guiding one past third slip with soft hands.
11:18am - Pattinson and Starc look to be shaking off their early nerves and a few questions are now being asked of England’s openers as the ball nips around through the air and off the seam.
Meanwhile, ecb.co.uk has just grabbed a quick word with former England skipper Mike Gatting, who thinks it was a very good toss for Cook to win this morning. Gatt has predicted a 3-0 series win for the hosts.
11:09am - Mitchell Starc's radar is also a little off first up. His fourth ball is confidently clipped through square-leg by Cook for the game's opening four.
11:04am - There is plenty of early swing for Pattinson, who follows up his opening wide by conceding a leg-side bye to Alastair Cook, but only one delivery forces Joe Root to play.
11am - Oh my! James Pattinson begins with a loopy bouncer that is called wide by umpire Aleem Dar.
Pre-Play News
10:58am - Here come the players - an enormous cheer going up as England's opening pair follow the Australian team on to the field. James Pattinson will get us started from the Pavilion End and the Red Arrows fly overhead as the seamer prepares to send down the first ball of the series.
10:52am - On a scale of one to 10, how excited are we all feeling right now? After months of discussion and build-up, the Investec Ashes Series is about to begin!
10:44am - A flurry of fireworks go off at the end of God Save The Queen. We don't have long to wait now.
10:41am - The spectators inside Trent Bridge rise for the national anthems, starting with Advance Australia Fair.
10:35am - Here are the teams in full:
England: Alastair Cook (captain), Joe Root, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Jonny Bairstow, Matt Prior (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Steven Finn, James Anderson.
Australia: Shane Watson, Chris Rogers, Ed Cowan, Michael Clarke (captain), Phil Hughes, Steven Smith, Brad Haddin (wicketkeeper), Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Agar.
10:30am - ENGLAND WIN THE TOSS AND BAT - Michael Clarke calls incorrectly and Cook predictably elects to bat on a dry surface. England have opted to give their final seam bowling spot to Steven Finn, which means Tim Bresnan and Graham Onions miss out. Clarke explains the shock selection of Agar, saying: "He's bowled really well and England have a lot of right-handers."
10:25am - England, of course, have won the last two Ashes series and will be determined to get off to a strong start today as they bid to keep hold of the little urn. Our next update will include all the relevant info from the toss.
10:20am - You can sense the excitement around the ground as the toss approaches. Here's some more pre-match reading for you in the meantime, England skipper Cook explaining the effect the Ashes can have on a player's career.
Ravi Bopara backs England to win the Investec Ashes and shares his memories of playing in the 2009 series
10:05am - As you may well know, the forecast is good for the next few days. There are a few clouds around this morning, but it would be something of a surprise if the captain winning the toss chooses to field. We will find out soon enough.
#RISE for England! Your country needs you! Who can win the #Ashes battle of the fans? http://t.co/eBIazAN1Ikpic.twitter.com/WCH0f4K4Zu
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) July 10, 2013
9:53am - To whet your appetite further ahead of the start of play, why not listen to the latest episode of the ECB Cricket Podcast, featuring interviews with Alastair Cook, Michael Clarke, Ricky Ponting, Paul Collingwood, Graeme Swann, Brad Haddin, Stuart Broad, Marcus North and podcast pundit Mike Gatting.
9:45am - Australia have already sprung a surpise this morning. Teenage left-arm spinner Ashton Agar, who has played in just 10 first-class matches, will make his Test debut for the tourists.
Ashton becomes the 434th Test player for Australia. Full team announced at the toss #Ashes#ReturnTheUrnpic.twitter.com/rNUKEqDVxN
— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) July 10, 2013
9:42am - For all of our Ashes content this summer, be sure to head to ecb.co.uk/ashes, where - among other things - you will be able to find the following...
- Video highlights of every session and pitchside player interviews
- Exclusive England features throughout the series
- Live social streams on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Google+
- Tweet your support for England using #RISE
- Live scores, stats and text commentary on ecb.co.uk, mobile & apps
- Our live matchday blog in the #Ashes news here on ecb.co.uk/ashes
- And Official Daily Round Up email into your inbox
Well it's finally here. So Excited. #Rise#Ashes
— Tim Bresnan (@timbresnan) July 10, 2013
9:30am - The wait is (almost) over. In 90 minutes the Investec Ashes Series will get under way and ecb.co.uk is in position at Trent Bridge to update you on all the action.