Due in tomorrow I take it Pete?

Peter Morris, Durham

Mitch Starc is, unsurprisingly, going to take the first over. Alastair Cook will take the first ball which is back of a length, and Cook pats it safely down off his pads.

Glenn McGrath
Ex-Australia pace bowler on BBC Test Match Special

Alastair Cook has been a great player for England but he has got out to some poor shots. 150 games is an incredible effort.

The first hour, the first session, it won't be free-flowing. It will nip about a bit but once you get the ball off the square it races away to the boundary.

Let's see what the ball is doing. There have been some big first-innings scores here in Sheffield Shield cricket.

Time for an Australia huddle, led by Steve Smith. Plenty of bum pats for the Australia fast bowlers too. Alastair Cook, meanwhile, has a final slurp of his drink before he and Mark Stoneman bump fists and make their way out to the middle.

Vic Marks
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

You have to take any allegations that come to light very seriously but I don't feel like this match is going to be stained.

It strikes me that if there is an Australian called 'the silent man' behind this then he should be easy to find, shouldn't he?

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The teams are walking out in blazing sunshine in Perth. That's Perth, Australia and not Perth, Scotland. It is very early, in our pitiful defence. The teams hand over some commemorative medals to their mascots, and then line up for the national anthems.

Ahem. Yes. We put the wrong weather forecast in as a test to make sure you're all awake and paying attention...

We're off to a strong start today.

Spot the deliberate mistake...

Simon Hughes
BBC Test Match Special commentator

I don't think history plays much a part. If things start to go badly, England might start to think here we go again.

It's obvious to bat first on a beautiful day like this. Usually the ball does a little bit for the first half of the day. But the stats show that the pitch gets flatter, so it probably doesn't matter that much.

England have made a tweak to their line-up - Jonny Bairstow will bat at six ahead of Moeen Ali.

Crucially, this stops England's procession of left-handers queueing up to face Nathan Lyon, as well as not limiting Bairstow to batting solely with the tail.

"The fundamentals of how we go about the game are the key thing," captain Root said yesterday.

"We have to make sure we're clear on how to take on their bowlers, these conditions and give ourselves the best opportunity to make a big score."

Image source, AFP

Australia: Cameron Bancroft, David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith (capt), Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon,

England: Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Joe Root (capt), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Craig Overton, Stuart Broad, James Anderson.

Umpires: Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney.

TV umpire: Aleem Dar; Match referee: Sir Richie Richardson.

That would be nice at the end of play wouldn't it?

Alastair Cook joins Tendulkar, Ponting, S. Waugh, Kallis, Chanderpaul, Dravid and Border on one superb list.

Some team that. Though Jacques is bowling a lot of overs there...

Australia captain Steve Smith: "Pete is unlucky to miss out. The stats here have shown we've needed to bowl a lot here, so Mitch comes in. He knows this pitch really well because it's his home."

On Australia's impressive Ashes record at the Waca: "Hopefully we can keep that record up. It's another day, another Test match - hopefully we can bowl well and get in front of the game. We're in a really good position. Hopefully we can put some pressure on England and try and wrap this series up in Perth."

Image source, PA

Mitch Johnson is currently out having a look at the pitch. He says it's crucial for Australia to get their lengths right this morning. There's already a few cracks in the pitch that Australia will be looking to exploit, but Johnson admits he'd have liked to have had a bat first.

BBC Weather's Simon King: "There’s lots of sunshine in Western Australia. On Thursday or Friday, there will not be a great deal of change. Temperatures into the high 20s. By Saturday, we well see a bit more cloud around. And by Sunday there is perhaps a chance of catching a shower or too."

Today marks Alastair Cook's 150th Test appearance for England, and he's the first England player to achieve such a milestone. Here he is getting a new plaque for his wall from Joe Root.

Image source, PA

England captain Joe Root: "There's a bit of grass on it so we have to focus on playing well in the first session in particular. We know how important first innings runs are. It's an unchanged side and a chance for the guys to turn half a performance last week into a full one.

"If we play to our potential then we will win Test matches. Alastair Cook is a great role model and we are so humbled to get to play with him."

Image source, Getty Images

There is one change for Australia - all-rounder Mitch Marsh has come in for Peter Handscomb. Smith says that the stats show they need an extra bowler at the Waca. Marsh has taken two wickets in his past four first-class game for Western Australia, but he has been getting used to bowling again after a shoulder injury.

Here we go. Steve Smith chucks the coin in the air - and it's Joe Root that calls correctly! He decides to have a bat first, with a big grin on his face. He's three out of three from tosses on this tour so far. England are indeed unchanged.