John Petrie: Only 9 sessions of play so far out of 75 for the series and already living up to the pre series hype. Two well matched teams - it will come down to key moments and who keeps their nerve.

Abinash Das: I expect England to come out with all guns blazing today deploying bazball to the maximum possible extent. And try an unconventional approach in the fourth innings.

Thanks, Tom.

What a morning of Ashes cricket we have ahead of us. Match defining, perhaps? I feel like you could say that about most sessions but this one does feel important.

As we edge closer to the start of the morning session it is time for me to take a break. Thank you for all your tweets and texts this morning.

Sam Drury is here to take the wheel.

Michael Vaughan
Former England captain on BBC Test Match Special

It feels a pure day for batting today. I don't think there will much movement. Australia will think if they can knock over Joe Root they will put England under a lot of pressure. Will Ben Stokes regret those 30 runs he'd got had he not declared early? Second innings runs are always much harder to get.

Bill Bows: So Australian press saying that England were completely "beaten" in the brief overcast spell yesterday when we lost *checks notes* two wickets... To quote Kevin Keegan: I'll tell you honestly, I would love it if we beat them, LOVE it.

Joe: Aussie's moaning about Robinson's celebration after removing Khawaja clearly have very short memories and have forgotten Steve Smith cheering in the face of Harry Brook after his unfortunate dismissal on day one

Simon King
BBC weather presenter and meteorologist

There is a very outside chance of rain today but we shouldn't lose any play. But the question mark is tomorrow. There may well be a delay in the morning. The weather models show the rain hanging back a little first thing. But once the rain goes, apart from the odd shower perhaps, we should be clear for the day.

Jonathan Agnew
BBC cricket correspondent on Test Match Special

It feels fresher this morning. The sun is shining but there's a cooler feel on what is going to be a critical day in this first Ashes Test.

In case you were wondering what happened to our favourite Sith Lord Darth Vader, who was escorted from the ground yesterday, Edgbaston have tweeted an official update:

Much speculation over Darth Vader's Edgbaston appearance yesterday.

The Galactic Empire Commander-in-Chief strayed onto the boundary perimeter.

The Dark Side we can accept, but not Pitch Side. He watched the match from his seat.

Image source, Getty Images

Andy Zaltzman
Cricket statistician on Test Match Special

1) Three times. The total of England's average 8th, 9th and 10th wicket stands bettered Australia only in 2009, 2010-11 and 2015, and only in 2009 was it by a significant margin (89 to 50).

2) (a) England – 47 more runs after fall of 7th wicket.

(b) Australia – 68 more runs after fall of 7th wicket.

And here is the answer...

ZaltzQuiz answer time!

Here is a reminder of the question:

Australia's tail looked fragile on paper before yesterday, and looked even more fragile on grass as England's bouncer barrage added another team to its list of victims from the past year, with the last three wickets adding just 14 runs. However, over recent Ashes decades, Australia's eighth, ninth and tenth wicket partnerships have been far more productive than England's.

A two-part question for today's Ashes Guesswork Special.

1. In 19 Ashes rubbers from 1986-87 to 2021-22, how many times did England's last three wickets – worked out by adding the average 8th, 9th and 10th stands together – do better than Australia's over the course of a series?

2. To the nearest whole number, how many runs did (a) England, and (b) Australia, average after the fall of the 7th wicket in those series combined?

Stat Dan: 1) Twice (2009 and 2015). 2a) 47 2b) 69

Nick The Unit: We often had Malcolm and Tuffers! Broady and Swann helped at times. They had McGrath... England five times more over 19 rubbers. 2) England 29 Australia 42

Answer to the ZaltzQuiz coming up very shortly!

With rain forecast for tomorrow will England try and force a result today? We know how quickly they can score and the inherent risk that brings.

If they get close to a lead of 250 I would not be surprised if he declares and throws the gauntlet down to Australia.

I think the theory behind not switching to an earlier start time at short notice is the impact it would have on people's travel plans. Some people will have early morning trains pre-booked for example. There is no perfect solution though, I admit.

This was the scene at Edgbaston a short while ago. The dark threatening rain clouds of yesterday have moved on and we look set for a start on time at 11:00 BST.

Image source, Reuters

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Sir Alastair Cook
Former England captain on BBC Radio 5 Live

The choice of words...he [Ollie Robinson] probably shouldn't have used. But these guys are playing under huge intensity and pressure. And the release sometimes at a crucial wicket, you don't control yourself absolutely perfectly.

I would much rather see passion pouring out of players. You want to know how much it means to them.

The players aren't bothered by it - the media is. And the Aussie media has jumped on it to try and upset Ollie Robinson. Judging by his interview, he doesn't really care.