Ashes opener lives up to the hype as England and Australia trade blows at Edgbaston

England have moved the needle in unprecedented fashion in a whirlwind past year but how a buccaneering approach would fare against a relentless Australia was the big talking point amid all the Ashes hype.

The debate will linger, for while England landed telling blows and left Australia reeling at times, the world Test champions kept dragging the hosts back on an a fluctuating opening day of the LV= Insurance series.

What is undeniable is how compelling this England team are under head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, who promised supporters entertainment in these five eagerly anticipated Tests.

They delivered that in abundance at Edgbaston.

The sold-out crowd lapped up Zak Crawley drilling Pat Cummins's first ball of the series for four, marvelled at Joe Root's enduring class as he compiled a majestic 118 not out while the vocal Hollies Stand delighted in serenading Nathan Lyon about being an inferior Moeen Ali – or words to that effect.

Only two maidens were bowled in England's 393 for eight declared, where none of Australia's bowlers offered any kind of containment as all of them leaked upwards of four an over.

Scott Boland experienced his first tough day at the office. Having arrived in the midlands with a bowling average in the mid-teens after nine Tests, he leaked an eye-watering 86 runs in 14 overs here.

This was not “Bazball” at its most extreme, though, with England and Root in particular dashing between the wickets after Australia curiously spread the field – there was a deep point in the first over while boundary riders piled up in an ill-fated attempt to stifle the home side's run-rate.

The tourists' charitable fielding – they also dropped a couple of chances and failed to appeal when Crawley