Incredibly, 17 wickets fell, Australian captain Ricky Ponting needed plastic surgery after being hit by a Steve Harmison bouncer and the advantage swung dramatically from England to Australia.

There was no shortage of thrills in one of the most exciting starts to one of the most eagerly anticipated Test matches.

Here is what the two rival nations' press made of the action-packed events at Lord's.

THE AUSTRALIAN VIEW:

"Ageless paceman" Glenn McGrath steals England's thunder by producing one of the great all-time spells of fast bowling to change the course of an absorbing first day at Lord's.

Tribute is paid to McGrath for taking his 500th Test wicket - and for tearing through England's top order.

THE ENGLISH VIEW:

The Mirror
England paceman Steve Harmison has vowed to continue to bowl aggressively and show no mercy after hitting Ponting and Matthew Hayden on the head and Justin Langer on the elbow.

Harmison, who took 5-43, said: "It is always a confidence booster when you hit a batsman because it means you have got them on the back foot.

"The ball bounces and I intimidate batsmen. It is my job."

The Sun
Harmison's performance earns a "fast, fearsome and fantastic" rating but McGrath - who turned the match with figures of 5-21 - was "unbelievable".

McGrath's destruction of England, as they were reduced to 92-7 at stumps, was a "masterclass in the art of fast-medium bowling,"

His "relentless accuracy, lateral movement and aggressive demeanour" left journalist John Etheridge purring "ooh, aah, Glenn McGrath".

The Times
More praise for McGrath on a "day of high drama" in which Australia gave "England's new order a reminder of times past".

England produced a heroic bowling performance but were horrifically punished for getting above themselves, is the verdict of Simon Barnes.

While the first day's action left chief cricket correspondent Christopher Martin-Jenkins feeling "no novelist or playwright would have dared, so early in the plot, to pack together dramatic events of such relentless intensity".

THE AUSTRALIAN VIEW:

Sydney Morning Herald
Australia captain Ricky Ponting is looking forward to seeing Brett Lee share the new ball with Glenn McGrath, if the paceman is recalled.

"I would like to see that," Ponting said.

"I think we all have to have that sort of mindset going into this Test series. We have to be aggressive and we have to have great body language.

"Brett, with what he does, brings a lot to our team as far as that hostility and firepower goes. There is an important role for him if he happens to play.

"It's nice to know that we have got someone there that can run in and bowl those really hostile spells."

The Age
England captain, Michael Vaughan, has rejected a proposal by Australian captain, Ricky Ponting, to accept the fieldsman's word on catches during the Ashes Test series.

The Courier Mail
Australia has sent an 11th-hour SOS to legendary paceman Dennis Lillee in an attempt to rescue Jason Gillespie's faltering Test career.

Lillee was approached to attend Australia's training ahead of the first Test at Lord's to try and help Gillespie recover his form.

However, should Gillespie not convince, Michael Kasprowicz will be an automatic choice behind Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee.

THE ENGLISH VIEW:

The Sun
"Our time has come" is the confident headline which sets the tone for an interview with Andrew Flintoff.

The England all-rounder believes "this is a massive chance for us" to defeat Australia and he feels England are in good shape to achieve it.

"It's a fantastic challenge for every one of us in the England team. What an incentive - to win back The Ashes," he said.

"I'm no more nervous than usual but maybe more excited because we have the chance to do something very special."

The Star
Responding to Australian taunts of a possible 5-0 whitewash, England skipper Michael Vaughan said he is "sick and tired of the talking".

He maintains that he has respect for the opposition but insists his team "do not fear them and are not in awe of them".

"The expectation of the country is with us and we will not let them down," he added. "We are ready for this challenge and we are confident."

The Independent
However, former England bowler Angus Fraser warns that the series could be over by lunchtime.

He believes the "manner in which England handle the pressure of this huge occasion will play a pivotal role in the outcome of the first Test, and possibly the series".

Backing up his claim, he points out that Australia have made the faster start to three of the last five Ashes and gone on to win the match.

THE AUSTRALIAN VIEW:

The Herald Sun
Shane Warne admits he is still struggling to come to terms with his marriage break-up and thinks he will retire from the game sooner because of it.

He also thinks England are real contenders: "For the first time I honestly believe they have a chance if they play well."

But he says Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff are crucial, saying England's duo are "two of the best matchwinners going around".

The Age
Australian legend Rod Marsh reckons Kevin Pietersen is better than the likes of Adam Gilchrist and Damien Martyn, but still rates Ricky Ponting as "the best kid I've had".

Marsh says the England selectors have made the right decision dropping Graham Thorpe for Pietersen.

"Pietersen is ready and deserves his chance. Thorpe is finished. You just know when a bloke is finished."

The Courier Mail
Opener Matthew Hayden reckons England have not got a chance if the Australians perform at their best, but admits they are vulnerable is they fall short of their usual standards.

"If we are executing our skills, I don't believe there is a side that can get close to us. But we have to be at our best."

Hayden says he will attack Matthew Hoggard at Lords, but the Englishman has warned against such aggression.

Hoggard fired: "I know he is going to come after me, but if I'm bowling the right lines and lengths then it's a bigger risk for him."

THE ENGLISH VIEW:

The Mirror
England seamer Matthew Hoggard has launched an astonishing attack on the Australians, claiming they are over the hill.

Shane Warne is "getting on a bit", "it will be tough for McGrath" and the Australians are "scared" and "acting like bullies".

But Ashes legend Ian Botham believes the destiny of this summer's series depends on England coping with Warne, "probably the best spinner there will ever be".

The Times
"Help us nail Australians, Pietersen urges crowd" is the headline in The Times and it is a theme followed by a few of the other papers too.

Aware that England have not beaten Australia at Lords since 1934, debutant Kevin Pietersen has issued the home crowd with a rallying cry to get behind his team-mates from the first ball.

Australian coach John Buchanan has launched another broadside at the hosts after England rejected a request from Ricky Ponting for a 'gentleman's agreement' regarding disputed catches.

"It makes it difficult if one team is playing one set of rules and the other is playing another," he said.

The Sun
Pace bowler Steve Harmison admits he was a laughing stock the last time England played Australia, but believes "one great bowling spell" this summer could recapture the Ashes.

Meanwhile, Australian vice-captain Adam Gilchrist says it was "hard to know who you were playing against" in the recent one-day internationals against England.

"There was Geraint behind the stumps and Kevin Pietersen saying 'Come on England' in a South African accent," he said.

THE ENGLISH VIEW:

The Daily Star
"You Brett I will give Poms Hell" screams a headline in Tuesday's Daily Star.

The Australian players met the media on Monday and a series of pieces with their players dominates Tuesday's Ashes coverage.

Lee declares that he is ready to "cause maximum damage".

But a piece on England bowler Matthew Hoggard argues that the Yorkshireman must come out "all guns blazing and take the Test by the scruff of the neck".

The Daily Telegraph
Former England player and coach Keith Fletcher suggests that the Australian bowling attack is far from perfect.

His major focus is Jason Gillespie. Fletcher contends that "his pace has gone, which makes him very similar to Glenn McGrath".

On the other hand, insists Fletcher, "England look good with Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff".

The Sun
The tabloid runs an interesting piece with Rod Marsh, former chief of both the Australia and England academies.

While the current Australian team have been telling all and sundry they have a "plan" for Kevin Pietersen, Marsh seems to have a very different take.

"We've had him at the academy for the past two years and he is certainly ready for Test cricket," said Marsh.

"The Australians have already seen his ability and they will fear him."

THE AUSTRALIAN VIEW:

The Herald Sun
The Herald Sun features a piece with former Australia captain Steve Waugh, advising England to come out, as the paper terms it, "breathing fire" on Thursday.

The thrust of Waugh's argument is that if England do not compete in the first session a long, hot summer in the field could follow.

If England do not perform "they will be crushed by a force that thrives on the big stage".

Waugh also argues Andrew Flintoff must be the man of the series if England are to win the Ashes.

The Sydney Morning Herald
Concern on Tuesday in the Sydney broadsheet over the form of batsman Michael Clarke.

The youngster started his Test career with a century both home and abroad - the paper describing it as "Beethoven's Fifth in flannels".

But he has struggled in England, prompting Trevor Marshallsea to write: "The alarm bells have not drowned out the trumpets, but inevitably the opinions about his first dip in fortunes have rained down."

But Marshallsea insists "it is unlikely he will be greatly worried".

The Age
While an air of confidence radiates from the Australian players and their media, The Age nonetheless points towards some tough decisions that have yet to be made.

The Australian selectors - "The three wise men" - must decide whether Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie or Michael Kasprowicz will be carrying the drinks on Thursday.

Coach John Buchanan, as well as David Boon and Merv Hughes, must leave one of the three out of the team - with The Age confident Brett Lee will play.

"But the fight between Gillespie and Kasprowicz to take the third paceman's place is extremely close," said the newspaper.

THE ENGLISH VIEW:

The Sun
The Sun announces the signing of retired fast bowler Devon Malcolm, who declares that he would "like nothing more to put the Aussies down before the first Test".

Malcolm also recalls how great if felt to have the Aussies jumping around from a barrage of fast bowling.

The paper also shows Australian opening batsman Justin Langer wearing boxing gloves as he prepares to do battle.

The Times
The Times' Ashes supplement on Monday features a piece from Christopher Martin-Jenkins arguing that England can upset the odds.

The series, he suggests, "will be decided by which of the spearheads....finishes with the most wickets after the bails have been lifted for the last time".

But Simon Barnes suggests Shane Warne remains the difference between the two teams.

"Warne is at last on stage - now the summer's narrative can unfold," wrote Barnes.

The Guardian
The Guardian's Mike Selvey has nailed his optimistic colours firmly to the mast and argues the mystique surrounding the Australian team has been broken.

"It has been replaced by the realisation that these are mortal players," implores Selvey.

"Some of them are geniuses but with human frailties - and more pertinently unused to being challenged."

The Guardian's new columnist Ashley Giles reports that he has lost count of the times people have told him to beat the Aussies this summer.

THE AUSTRALIAN VIEW:

The Herald Sun
The Victorian newspaper gives prominence to a piece with Ian Botham, arguing England's bowlers must "hunt in packs" if they are to win the Ashes.

The paper suggests that Simon Jones' "on-field stoush" (answers on a postcard) with Matthew Hayden at Edgbaston has "ignited the summer".

But the paper does suggest that the form of Australia's back-up bowlers - Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz - remains a definite concern.

The Courier Mail
Lots of Australia's papers on Monday focus on Glenn McGrath questioning the character of the England team.

According to the Courier Mail: "McGrath has thrown another psychological dagger at an England side that capitulated meekly last week."

And the paper cannot help but muse back to the last Ashes series in Australia, when skipper Nasser Hussain ensured his team did not mix with the opposition.

"It was all part of Hussain's strategy to foster a mental divide between the teams," said the paper.

The Age
Much has been made in Australia's press on Monday of Justin Langer pulling a "new weapon" out of his locker.

With the short stuff expected to come thick and fast from the likes of Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff, Aussie opener Langer has been practising his pulling.

In a fine example of Australian under-statement The Age describes it as part of Langer's "eternal quest for self-improvement".

And The Age clearly believes the Australians are in good shape, with only one blemish.

Michael Clarke's failure to compile a significant score in the match against Leicestershire was the "only less-than-perfect aspect of Australia's final warm-up game".