SUMMARY: Very much Australia's day at the start of the marquee Lord's Test, but it could have been much worse for curiously lacklustre England, if not for an out-of-the-blue, two-wicket over from unlikely saviour Joe Root just when the Bazball boasters were looking dishevelled. A rain-dotted, overcast day, perfect for the home seamers after captain Ben Stokes won the toss, couldn't have started more eventfully - a ground invasion by paint powder-wielding protesters prompting Jonny Bairstow to grab one and carry him to the boundary. It was the only catch England made all morning. Having spilled two, and under-pressure David Warner making them pay for Ollie Pope's missed sitter with a bold 66, the openers' wickets for impressive Ashes rookie seamer Josh Tongue gave England respite. But a 102-run stand between the old firm of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne (47) and another, rather more blistering one of 118 between Smith and Travis Head (77) left bedraggled England suffering so much that offspinner Root was reduced to chucking in a 120km/h bouncer at Labuschagne before tea. Yet with the innings spinning out of England's control, the part-timer got Head stumped and Cameron Green caught in the space of four balls. The worst news of all for England? Their walking, shuffling, precision-striking nightmare Smith was still going strong on 85, having gone past the 9000 Test runs landmark.
PLAYER OF THE MOMENT: Travis Head was the man Ben Stokes identified as a real danger to England and he continued the form which made him the dominant figure down the road at The Oval in the World Test Championship final with his superb attacking 77 off 73 balls, quite changing the complexion of the match with 14 thumping fours in little more than an hour.
KEY MOMENT: The morning's action may have had a very different feel had Usman Khawaja been snapped up on one when, squared up by James Anderson, he offered a difficult low chance to Joe Root at first slip. Likewise, Pope's drop at fourth slip off Stuart Broad when Warner only had 20. Both seemed to take the wind out of England's sails.
STAT OF THE DAY: Tongue, on his Ashes debut, became the first England bowler to dismiss both Australia's openers in the same innings for 55 years, since 1968. More remarkably, he was the first to do so at Lord's since 1884 - 139 years ago.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I didn't want to say anything - but the one chance that's come Jonny's way, he's held on to so far." - Ricky Ponting's cheeky take on one-time rugby league player Jonny Bairstow catching the ground-invading protester.
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