Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport at the Gabba

Now Mark Waugh and Matthew Hayden have shown up. The best cricket team at the Gabba could be in the canteen.

Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport at the Gabba

Good lord. Ricky Ponting is talking to Adam Gilchrist and Glenn McGrath in the lunch room. Still utterly terrifying for an Englishman.

Ben: At my desk in an office in Hong Kong, skirting responsibilities, headphones on.

Colin McGurn: Raining in Brisbane so we have come over the road for a beer and burger.

Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport at the Gabba

Raining harder now, even though there's quite a lot of blue sky over the city. Even if they try to make time up at the end of the day, it's pretty dark by 6pm.

BSKL Geography‏: In response to Toby Keen (02:15), you need to finish your geography coursework. We can arrange for you to complete it in detention with the BBC's cricket coverage projected onto the whiteboard #alreadytoldyourparents

Andrew Samson
BBC Test Match Special statistician

Australia's record of 28 Tests without defeat at the Gabba is second on the all-time list, behind only Pakistan's 34-game unbeaten run at Karachi.

Oh dear, the larger white cover is now being applied to the field, meaning we'll have a longer delay than first hoped.

It's still just drizzle - the sort of stuff your village team happily plays through - but persistent enough to delay this Test.

This is a spoiler warning if you've not seen Wednesday's Apprentice...

Despite this delay, they should be able to make up the time today - play can go on until 07:30 GMT.

I'll still be up then. Shout out to everyone else who makes it all the way through.

Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport at the Gabba

Not much communication between the selectors and the programme printers...

The under cover is still on and a thicker, blue cover is now being laid over the pitch.

More delays to the start of the second session.

Graeme Parker: Stanley not overly-impressed thus far. I'm quite enjoying it, though.

Image source, Twitter/Graeme Parker

They moved and I typed too early - the covers are back on.

Bit of drizzle in Brisbane still.

The skies above Brisbane have been fairly grey all day and there is a spot or two of rain around at the moment.

Ironically the sky is actually mainly blue up there at the moment.

The covers came on, mainly as a precaution, but are now coming off.

Now up on TMS is Ed Miller, who hitchhiked to the Ashes - taking up four months, passing through 23 countries and using no planes.

Madness.

Listen in by clicking the tab at the top of this page or over on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra.

Toby Keen: No late nights for me - here in Malaysia the Test starts just in time for my first lesson and runs all through the day. Perfect. However, I won't be getting much work done for the next month or so.

I have it on good authority that your teacher Mr Biggs has seen this, Toby. Your plan may have been scuppered...

Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport at the Gabba

In case you're wondering, the punters get access to the pool in two-hour sessions. There's a sign-up area and you get given a slot. One session has just ended, so the deck is being cleared and those in the pool are evicted. Play time is over.

Two Aussie all-stars in the Test Match Special box over lunch as Alyssa Healy and Ellyse Perry join the team to look back at the Women's Ashes, which Australia retained but were drawn after England's stunning win in the final T20.

Listen in by clicking the tab at the top of this page or over on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra.