'Need to adapt to conditions' - Clarke

Michael Clarke has admitted that Australia will have to adapt quickly if the pitches produced for the Investec Ashes series are similar in character to that in Cardiff

England go 1-0 up with emphatic win

Australia surrendered five wickets between lunch and tea to hand England a 169-run win that put them 1-0 up in the Investec series

Watson's lbw woes and losing the first Test

Statistical highlights from the fourth day of the first Ashes Test in Cardiff

Watson's place under threat for Lord's

Australia's selectors will be compelled to consider the position of Shane Watson and are also likely to have to draft in Peter Siddle to replace Mitchell Starc for the Lord's Test

Absorbed lessons to look to future - Cook

Alastair Cook praised his team's attacking mindset after England wrapped up a comprehensive 169-run victory in the first Investec Test at Cardiff

Broad, Moeen share six to lead England charge

Cook marshals a near faultless display

There are four matches to go and as we saw in 2005 and 1997, sides are capable of coming from behind to win Ashes series. There will be no complacency from England. But there will be confidence

Australia's empty words exposed by England

A defeat overseas on a sluggish pitch was a familiar situation that brought familiar words from Michael Clarke, but the Australians have to do more than talk

No longer the barbarians at the gate

Shane Watson's struggles epitomise an Australian team that hasn't been consistently dominant for years

Bell finds his touch as Australia are set 412

England were bowled out for 289, setting Australia 412 to win as the first Test of the Investec Ashes moved swiftly on

Boof's nightmares slowly become reality

Behind Darren Lehmann's blokey exterior lies a coach, and one with a number of headaches to ponder

Bell's counterattack keeps good vibes flowing

Even just a few months ago England, having lost two early wickets in their second innings, might have gone into their shells. It was nothing of sort in Cardiff to ensure the exemplary work of the bowlers was not wasted

Starc's ankle clouds Lord's chances

Peter Siddle appears a likely Australian inclusion for the Lord's Test after Mitchell Starc bowled in obvious pain on a difficult day three in Cardiff, leaving Nathan Lyon to admit the heavily favoured tourists needed to "compose themselves" following num

Fifteen wickets fall as Test rattles along

Three joyful days set a wonderful tone

This is a new England all right. Come what may in this remarkable Test match, a seed has been sowed and the future is bright

Root's stellar run, Anderson on the rise

Statistical highlights from the third day of the first Ashes Test in Cardiff

Watson and Haddin at the precipice

When the third day dawned in Cardiff, Shane Watson and Brad Haddin were key to Australia's chances of fighting back but neither could deliver which starts to raise questions of the future

Moeen stars as England's pressure brings rewards

Any England supporter with the vaguest sense of Ashes history would have felt mild trepidation as they defended a first-innings score of 430 on a sunny Cardiff day

Aggression lets Australia down

Australia's top order's eagerness to attack saw them gift England wickets, with Moeen Ali especially profiting from a blind spot against spin

Functional Rogers protects Australian interests

Chris Rogers may not be shiny and new and won't play for a generation but his glut of fifties have made him a crucial cog in this Australia machine

Johnson's worst and Rogers' streak

Statistical highlights from the second day of the first Ashes Test in Cardiff

Careless Australia on back foot

Moeen proves himself - again

Opponents and commentators continue to underestimate Moeen Ali, yet he continues to score runs and take wickets. Perhaps it's time he was shown the respect he deserves

Root century galvanises England

Joe Root made 134 from only 166 balls to help lift England from a tricky position at 43 for 3 on a grouchy Cardiff morning

Australia confront the Harris gap

Seven wickets on the first day, having lost the toss, was far from awful for Australia but they will know their bowling attack did not work as a unit which showed the value of one missing man

England aggression not so becoming for Cook

Despite a rousing display from the middle order England's position might have been stronger had Alastair Cook stuck to his natural game

Root sparkles to haul England from early trouble

Root result trumps process

Joe Root wasn't always in control and he rode his luck but ultimately new-fangled coaching processes were trumped by all that really matters: the scorebook

England's lefties and Root's hundreds

Statistical highlights from the first day of the first Ashes Test in Cardiff

Australia caught cold by Haddin's drop

Josh Hazlewood has admitted Australia's bowlers did not respond well to the unexpected sight of Brad Haddin dropping Joe Root on the first day of the Investec Ashes series

Get Root higher up at No. 3

England should look to make the most of his potential because unlike Gary Ballance, he does not get bogged down against pace or spin

The Rogers method

The lack of a backlift restricts the Australian opener's range of strokes, especially the drive, but he has managed to use his limitations to his advantage

The Australian way may yet prevail

England played Australia at their own game in Cardiff, but don't rule the visitors out

More than a win for England

There's almost a moral dimension to the Cardiff victory: it feels as if England have left a great pile of stinking bad things behind them

England and the importance of optimism and innocence

Momentum isn't only about winning sessions in a row. It is a direct result of the kind of players you pick

Bayliss praise for 'fantastic' captain Cook

Trevor Bayliss, the new England coach, has hailed Alastair Cook's captaincy in the first Test of the Investec Ashes series as "fantastic"

What the Ashes opening ceremony taught us

Battles for the urn, like Wimbledon finals, always come with a sense of occasion. A round of flag-waving adds nothing

Cardiff loss a minor hiccup - Lehmann

Australia's coach Darren Lehmann has described England's vast victory in the first Test as a "minor hiccup," and has effectively challenged the Lord's ground staff to produce a quicker pitch for the second match from Thursday

England's evolution faces a litmus test

What is truth and what is fiction about this England Test side? The next few weeks will show us, but for all the talk of youthful exuberance they will need senior players to lift and a good start is vital

Pain of '09 near-miss spurs on Australia

Five members of the current Australia squad were present when James Anderson and Monty Panesar defied them six years ago and it was an outcome that set the tone for more than just one series

Ageing Australia seek to overturn England's home Ashes hold

ESPNcricinfo previews the opening Test of the Investec Ashes which takes place in Cardiff, the scene of a dramatic outcome in 2009