FLEM'S VERDICT: Starc's statement and the fast bowling tactical shift that was too good for England

The Fast Bowling Cartel has waited a long, long time for one of its members to captain Australia in a Test match and it went so well you wonder why it took so long!

Things could have hardly worked out better for Pat Cummins. Even losing the toss was just about the biggest win of the day.

From an Australian perspective, day one ticked every box.

On a pitch like that a lot of captains don’t want to win the toss so they don’t have the pressure of having to make that call. When Joe Root won it and chose to bat, it was the perfect set up for Cummins.

All of his bowlers would have wanted to bowl first, but they didn’t have the pressure of having to deliver for a captain that had sent in the opposition.

A wicket straight away was amazing. Compare that first ball from Starc to Steve Harmison’s in 2007 in terms of setting tones for the day and series.

I thought it was significant they played Starc and also that they gave him the first over and a chance to make a statement straight away.

We were hearing reports from the training camps that he was bowling fast and swinging it, but you don’t know whether they’re only saying that to justify the selection.

He backed it up today. Even in his second spell, he was full and fast and moving the ball. Let’s hope that’s his standard this season, and if it is he’s a major wicket-taker with the new ball.

Both Starc and Josh Hazlewood bowled quite a bit fuller than they did last year against India, when Australia were beaten at the Gabba.

(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

We only got three LBWs last summer. Not a lot of their balls were hitting the stumps today, but instead of being that seven to eight metres away from the bat, which is still a good length, they were more in that five or six-metre range, which is getting into that full/good length.

The way that Hazlewood worked over Root was exceptional. He beat him once going full, and for the other deliveries, he went shorter; and then the one he got the nick off was the fullest one he bowled.

It was significant that Cummins brought himself into the attack after Starc had only bowled two overs.

Pat’s just unique. He’s so hostile off a length. That was a slowish Gabba pitch that moved, but you felt when it hit the bat England were shocked at how hard it hit.

From a captaincy perspective, I liked that he gave everyone a bowl in that first session. Lyon got a bowl but also Green, so going into the second session everyone had played a part.

And then in the end, when rain is on the way and we want to knock them over, our captain grabs the ball and he does just that – knocks them over. That’s something we’ve never had before, or at least not since Ray Lindwall in 1956.

I thought our catching was superb. No fumbles, Alex Carey got his first couple of snares on debut – you beauty – and Hazlewood’s two catches were stunning for such a big man and almost replicas.

Green got his first wicket – you could see the relief and joy on his face – and I think that’s significant because the monkey is off his back now. He’ll grow and his pace and bounce are excellent for a fifth bowling option.

I think the Aussie left-handers will be surprised and relieved that England left out Stuart Broad along with James Anderson.

Broad’s record is imposing – particularly in that last Ashes series against our left-handers, where he got Warner seven times but also got Marcus Harris and Travis Head as well.

I would have thought the bowler our lefties wouldn’t want to face was Broad, and morale-wise, his absence would have given them a massive lift.

Chris Woakes was ineffectual here four years ago: his pace isn’t quite up to it. He could bowl well on this pitch, but I thought it was a negative thing to play him, and it was to beef up their batting.

Woakes might bowl really well tomorrow and get wickets – and he got a handy 20 runs – but I would have thought the Australians would have done a lot of planning on Broad.

There were some good efforts from England’s lesser names.

Haseeb Hameed is a front foot player, and apart from one waft outside off stump and the ball he got out – which wasn’t a really bad shot – he showed some signs that he can bat time. He didn’t look like he had a lot of shots that would take the game away from Australia, but his and Rory Burns’ job is to block that new ball and give the middle order a tired attack to face.

Ollie Pope was really proactive. He played a poor shot to get out, but up until then the way he and Jos Buttler were going, there were signs they could reach 250.

Buttler has to do what he did today – play his shots. He took the game away from the Aussies for a brief period. But the two big wickets are Root and Stokes and that’s the way it will continue to be.

Stokes looked comfortable. He plays off the back foot to give himself more time. Cummins gave him a cover drive which he crunched but then he bounced him, before bowling the stock ball he nicked.

He was prepared to bring him forward to set him up for the shorter ball. That was good bowling from Cummins.

Can England bounce back?

We always talk about waiting until we see both teams bat. The pitch will sweat overnight under the covers, so they’re still a chance if they have a good first hour.

If they can get as many wickets as the Aussies in the first session, they’ll back themselves to continue their stranglehold over Harris, who struggled badly over in England. Can they get Smith and Labuschagne in early and try get them nicking? If so, they’re into Head who is trying to reestablish himself in the team, Carey on debut, and Green.

They’re certainly still a chance; but if Australia are only none or one down at lunch, England will have to come from a long way back, and it will be too big a mountain to climb. That first session is massive.