There's a round of applause for Peter Handscomb as he stops a full-blooded thwack from Moeen at cover. He's right in Moeen's target range in that position, and he's dealt with it very well so far. Nathan Lyon gets another delivery to rise over Moeen's stumps, keeping a tight line, but Moeen is watchful. A maiden.

Ian B: Fifties for Stoneman, Vince and Malan in the first innings of the series. Huge boost to England's prospects of bringing the Ashes home.

Andrew Purcell: All three batsmen that were under pressure coming on this tour have got 50 in this innings. Matthew Hayden might have heard of them now.

Image source, PA

Don't do that, Dawid. Malan nearly undoes his sterling work as he rashly lashes at a loose short ball, way down leg from the returning Mitchell Starc.

Starc round the wicket, targeting the ribs - Malan happy to take him on though as he glances a short-arm pull away for one.

Moeen then flirts with popping one up to short leg but it's round the corner enough for him to job through for a single.

Malan fends off the fifth and then clatters the last straight into upper chest / neck area of Cameron Bancroft at short leg.

Malan says sorry to the young Aussie. Part of me wants to reach for the dropped catch graphic but you can't call that a chance when the ball is travelling that fast.

Michael Vaughan
Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special

Image source, Getty Images

If you'd have said at the start of this Test that Stoneman, Vince and Malan - the three Ashes debutants - would all make fifties, you'd have got great odds.

They've done wonderfully well. It's a huge moment when you play in an Ashes series. Some players shrink because of the pressure, expectation and scrutiny but all three have looked very calm.

50 for Malanpublished at 98 overs

98 overs

Eng 234-4

For those of you on StarcWatch: he's back on the ground. And that's fifty for Dawid Malan!

He's played very well, and he brings the milestone up in equally nice fashion, leisurely sweeping Lyon down to third man for a single. That's come up from 119 balls, with 10 fours.

Olivia Rae: That sweep from Moeen and Malan’s cover drives! I love watching Test cricket with the build-up it creates for those moments.

Dan Stuchbury: I love Malan's cover drive. A thing of beauty.

Meanwhile, Moeen fends a short ball away from his body for an easy single. Malan tries to do similarly and makes an "ooft" noise as he flicks the delivery off his hip. There's nothing overly flashy from England, nothing outrageous. Just clever, patient cricket.

Michael Vaughan
Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special

It's been a really good start for this England pair. They've played with control and played two or three lovely strokes each.

The pitch hasn't got quicker - it's still slow and the biggest threat is coming from Nathan Lyon.

Australia are bowling for the surface they expected - quick and bouncy - but this is playing more like a subcontinent pitch.

Starc did go running off to the dressing room, so I'm going to hazard a guess that his knee is fine. Here's Lyon, still around the wicket, and that's four. Short, wide, dragged down and Malan cracks it through point. Lyon's response is a corker that bounces and goes straight on, beating Malan's defensive prod. Another peach of a delivery rounds off the over, the ball again turning and bouncing past the edge of Malan's bat.

Image source, PA

Eng 226-4published at 95 overs

95 overs

Short from Cummins and Malan pulls nicely for a couple. Starc tumbles at third man to get the ball and ends up ripping his trousers at the knee. In fact, Shaun Marsh has ripped Starc's trousers - both fielders converged on the ball and Starc slid as Marsh turned, and his spikes just caught him. Always feel slightly ill whenever a fielder goes down, knee first, at the Gabba on that hard outfield. In fact, Starc's cut himself. He's off for some running repairs. Ooft, that's a shot from Malan, cover driving with aplomb to get a boundary.

Dan Norcross
BBC Test Match Special

That's a wonderful shot - Moeen got on top of the bounce, fetched it from outside off and smacked it to the fence.

I think he just got bored - he's left a few of those but this time decided to whack it.

Image source, Reuters

Shot! You could feel that coming. Lyon's first delivery of the over turns sharply again, and Moeen leaves it alone, but he gets down on his knees to the third ball and sweeps it handsomely for four. That's a fine bit of work from Moeen, hitting it powerfully and, crucially, all along the ground. Lyon changes his angle, coming over the wicket, and Moeen decides he wants nothing to do with any of those balls.

Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport at the Gabba

It's a badge of honour for members of the Barmy Army to wear T-shirts from past England tours. The design on the back changes each time - 2015's trip to West Indies had England branded as the Pirates of the Caribbean. The oldest I've seen is from the 1998-99 tour down under. Retro.

Malan thrashes his arms wide and carves Cummins away for a couple, and the bowler responds with another delivery that skims past the outside edge. There's still not much pace in this pitch but Cummins has been clever, bowling slightly fuller and encouraging England to drive. Malan obliges once again, and another fine stop at cover prevents him from picking up a boundary. Warner, who appears to be chief ball shiner, comes in for a chat with Cummins, who decides to come around the wicket, and Malan leaves the resulting delivery well alone.

I love this photo. It's like an album cover.

Image source, PA

Nathan Lyon has a very intense face. He walks backwards, head cocked to one side, as Moeen goes for a big sweep and ends up shouldering arms. Moeen's not one to let the spinner dictate the pace of a game, but Lyon's getting some serious bounce, as another delivery goes spinning sharply through to Paine. Moeen looks like he's eyeing up a big shot but he lets everything go past him before prodding the final ball of the over back down the pitch. Cat and mouse stuff.

Adam Joel: Got a night manager job two months ago...it’s some sort of cruel joke that I’m an Australian in Australia sharing Ashes-missing sleep patterns with the enemy.

King Chuga: Now, do I go to bed or do I watch the cricket.....I am "working from home" tomorrow so...

Jack Beecroft: I sense an interesting first session, this tea needs to kick in first though.

Image source, Reuters

Moeen's been using a tea tray in the net to replicate the sort of bounce he'll face from the Australian bowlers. Cummins' first ball of the over rises up towards Moeen's ribs but he gets enough bat on it to nab a single. Malan then cracks another nice-looking cover drive straight towards Cameron Bancroft, who does well to stop the ball go rollicking to the boundary.