England captain Andrew Strauss wins the toss and elects to bat in the first Test in cricket's history to be played in Cardiff - England go with two spinners, Australia include spinner Nathan Hauritz and paceman Ben Hilfenhaus
Red carpet rolled out, the players and crowd await the start of the first Ashes Test amid the pomp and ceremony which kicks off the 2009 series
Welsh opera singer Katherine Jenkins added some glamour to the opening ceremony as she sang her country's national anthem before England opened the batting against Australia
Strauss gets off the mark with the first run of the series. The England captain is joined by Alastair Cook in opening the batting
First wicket down - Hilfenhaus ends Cook's innings after only 10 runs thanks to an acrobatic one-handed catch by Michael Hussey in the gulley
Ravi Bopara, playing in his first Ashes match, comes in for Cook with England 21-1 and immediately receives one in the throat from Peter Siddle
After picking up 30 runs from 60 balls, including four fours, Strauss gloves to Michael Clarke at first slip from Johnson's delivery
A third England wicket goes down before lunch - Bopara becomes Johnson's second victim as he lofts a slower ball into the hands of Phillip Hughes leaving England 90-3
Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen start to build a healthy partnership after lunch as the Australians throw spinner Hauritz into the fray - signs of turn have Strauss rubbing his hands together in the stands
An occasional limp and grimace from Pietersen suggests his Achilles injury is causing him problems, meanwhile scoring is slow but steady with no boundary for 20 overs as England reach 170-3
Ponting ponders his options and shuffles his bowlers as Pietersen and Collingwood take control of the afternoon session, both claiming half-centuries with a sudden flurry of boundaries - England 205-3 after 63 overs
A vital breakthrough for Australia as the combination of Hilfenhaus and Haddin ends the Collingwood-Pietersen partnership at 138 runs
A significant swing in the game's momentum looms as an ill-advised sweep from Pietersen, attacking Hauritz, is edged skyward and caught by Simon Katich - Pietersen out for 69, England 241-5. Enter Andrew Flintoff
Rolling back the years - a swashbuckling display from Flintoff alongside Matt Prior stacks runs on the board for England in double-quick-time as the end of the first day draws near
A double strike from Siddle shatters England - Flintoff edges onto his own stumps for 37 before Prior's stunning 56 off 62 balls is brought to an end by the Australian to leave England 329-7
England finish with James Anderson and Stuart Broad holding off a spirited Australian charge and end an entertaining first day in Cardiff on 336-7
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