Australia are all out there, as are England's openers Alastair Cook and Mark Stoneman.

It will be Mitchell Starc to bowl to Cook first up.

Here we go...

Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

I gave Mason Crane his cap this morning. I told him how humbled I was by it and how proud of him I am. It's an elite club. It still makes you feel a bit emotional and a bit jealous, actually, when you hand over the cap.

The umpires are coming out onto the field. Play should be minutes away. Finally.

The anthems are under way at the SCG. The matting is still over the pitch though. Mixed signals.

We need photos, Julian.

Right, so play is due to start in 10 minutes. We'll have to wait and see whether it does, with Sydney's weather currently more indecisive than England over who to bat at three for the past two years.

Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport in Sydney

When I say it's raining, only the matting has gone on the pitch. No white sheets yet. The Aussie bowlers are still lumbering up.

...but now some perhaps slightly better news from Sydney...

Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport in Sydney

Raining again. Covers coming back. General feeling is that it was a toss a skipper probably wanted to lose. You wonder if England had four pace bowlers, or if the series was still alive, that they may have bowled first.

Jeez...bad news coming from Sydney...

We've had the toss - England will bat first. That means we can also now confirm the teams...

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

England: Mark Stoneman, Alastair Cook, James Vince, Joe Root (capt), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Moeen Ali, Tom Curran, Stuart Broad, Mason Crane, James Anderson.

Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena, Joel Wilson.

TV umpire: S Ravi; match referee: Ranjan Madugalle.

Cheers Amy. Steering the live text through a long rain delay is no mean feat.

Hello to those of you who have stayed up, having promised to yourself that you'd watch the first session and been stubborn enough not to go to bed.

Hello to those of you who have woken up, found out play hasn't started yet and are now delaying a return to bed.

Right, now that I've seen nothing but rain, I'm off for some food.

Jack Skelton will take you through today's first session.

Australia captain Steve Smith: "The boys are completely motivated for this. Every Test you play for your country is really special.

"I'm batting really well. I love batting here - it's my home ground. This Test match has become sensational."

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

Maybe there should be another option at the toss to bat or bowl - "you decide". Make the opposing captain make the decision.

Australia captain Steve Smith: "I'm not too bothered. We thought about bowling, but I would have batted. I'm not too disappointed.

"There's a bit of moisture. The new ball might do a little bit so we need to do the make the most of it."

On Mitchell Starc's return: "It's nice to have him back. He's a quality bowler and hopefully he bowls well on this surface. The wicket is a pretty good one. Nathan has done a good job for us, so we're comfortable with the three quicks and Nathan."

Image source, Getty Images

Joe Root's won the Coin Toss Ashes 4-1, in case you were wondering.

England captain Joe Root: "It looks a pretty good wicket. There's a bit of weather around but if we play well for the first session or two then it looks like it will deteriorate and spin later on.

"Mason Crane is a very excited young man and a great competitor. He's come on leaps and bounds on this trip and I expect him to do well.

"Chris Woakes is a bit sore from the last match and Tom Curran deserves the chance to bowl on a slightly different wicket. Hopefully we can have another good week. It's a really good chance to start the new year off in a good vein of form."

Image source, Getty Images

There's a bit of green on that pitch, which might make the first session a bit interesting.

Smith says he's not bothered that he lost the toss, so there.

Joe Root calls heads, and he calls correctly! England win the toss and will have a bat first.

Root reckons it looks a pretty good wicket, and that spin might come into the game later on. Mason Crane will indeed be making his debut, in place of Chris Woakes.

Image source, Reuters