England stunned Edgbaston by declaring against Australia on the first day of an Ashes series that more than lived up to the hype.

Root added 121 with Jonny Bairstow, who crunched 78 in as many balls, and coaxed valuable lower-order contributions from Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson.

All this after Zak Crawley, who batted beautifully for 61, got the series off to an explosive start by hammering Pat Cummins’ first ball of the day through the covers for four.

Off-spinner Nathan Lyon took 4-149 for an Australia side that looked to counter England’s swashbuckling style by posting fielders to the boundary for the entire day.

If that tactic was surprising, it was nothing compared to Stokes’ bold play that gave his bowlers four overs at the Australians, who had been fielding in sweltering conditions.

David Warner defied his old nemesis Stuart Broad, taking Australia to 14-0 alongside opening partner Usman Khawaja.

At the end of a breathless, memorable day, the Ashes holders found themselves 379 runs behind.

Ashes opener lives up to hype

This was more than enough to justify the expectation surrounding the most eagerly anticipated Ashes series in a generation.

There were fireworks when former England captain Alastair Cook paraded the urn before play, but that was nothing compared to the pyrotechnics of Crawley’s crunching drive off Cummins’ first ball of the match – a shot that will go down as an iconic moment in Ashes history if England go on to win the series.

What followed was riveting, made all the more compelling by the Australian plan to have fielders on the boundary for the entire day. It created a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse, with England only finding their top gear for a period after tea.

Were the Australians too passive? England still scored in excess of five runs an over. The tourists had the chance to run through the home side’s lower order, but, guided by Root, England were able to reach a total that is at least par on a pitch currently ideal for run-scoring.

Then came the ultimate power move from Stokes, who had earlier won the toss. No-one in Birmingham was expecting the declaration on 78 overs, but it exposed Warner and Khawaja to an evening examination.

Broad even took the first over against his old bunny Warner, but Australia came through and England face some hard work with the ball on Saturday.

Root in the ranks and in the runs

Root did not make an Ashes hundred in any of his three series as captain, but back in the ranks produced his first century against Australia since 2015.

It was a vital contribution, too. When Stokes edged behind off Josh Hazlewood, England had lost two wickets for one run and were in huge danger.

But Root combined with Yorkshire team-mate Bairstow in a stand that had shades of their epic match-winning effort against India on this ground last year.

Root flicked off his pads, dabbed to third man and reverse-swept Lyon – a shot that resulted in an lbw decision on 61, only for Root to successfully review.

Pacemen Scott Boland, preferred to Mitchell Starc, and Cummins were both audaciously reverse-scooped for six.

Bairstow, in his first international innings since breaking his leg last August, timed the ball as if he had never been away.

He looked primed for a century when he ran past Lyon to be stumped. Moeen was given a rousing reception on his return to Test cricket, making 18 before he fell the same way as Bairstow.

Broad, with 16, and Robinson, 17 not out, guided to Root to his 30th Test century, which he celebrated with two straight maximums off Lyon before England declared.

Australia look for long game

There was never likely to be any surprises in England’s approach, but it was fascinating to see Australia’s attempt to contain them by having three men on the fence as early as the second over of the day.

Despite Ben Duckett limply under-edging Hazlewood, the plan looked to be backfiring during a second-wicket stand of 70 between Crawley and Ollie Pope.

It took the introduction of Lyon, who bowled Australia to victory on this ground four years ago, to stem the tide. Pope was lbw on review and, after Crawley edged a beauty from Boland on the stroke of lunch, Lyon got Harry Brook in freakish fashion – the ball ballooned into the air off his thigh pad, hit his back and went down on to the stumps.

But instead of pouncing after Stokes fell, Australia continued to sit back and paid the price. They could have been punished further had England’s declaration brought a wicket.

There was one more surprise from Stokes – the England new ball was shared by Broad and Robinson, relegating James Anderson to a change-bowling slot in a home Test for the first time since 2009.

Australia survived and will have the chance to bat in friendly conditions on Saturday, but must beware there is the prospect of turn and uneven bounce when they eventually come to chase in the final innings.

More to follow.