Josh Schonafinger

The first ball England had promised to be aggressive and to take the game to Australia under their highly successful 'Bazball' credo. And the first ball of the series was the new regime's mission statement in a nutshell. At 11am in Birmingham on the opening morning of the Test match, Australia captain Pat Cummins began the contest by offering a full ball outside off to England's Zak Crawley.

West Australian quick Joel Paris has followed Australian Test star Scott Boland from Hobart to Melbourne in another boost for the Stars pace attack in KFC BBL|13. The dual Marsh Sheffield Shield winner has consistently been one of the country’s best bowlers with the red ball since his debut in 2015 but has struggled to replicate that same potency in the shortest format.

Australia's backup opener Marcus Harris is hoping to replicate Mitch Marsh's instant impact if called upon for either of the remaining two Ashes Tests. Marsh was selected for the third Test in Leeds after Cameron Green's minor hamstring complaint, and blasted a run-a-ball 118 on day one before picking up handy wickets throughout the match.