Steve Smith was Australia's saviour in Birmingham as the Ashes got underway.
The former skipper scored his first Test ton since his ball tampering ban as a gritty 144 steered the Aussies to 284 all out before England went to stumps at 0/10.
Here are all the talking points from day one at Edgbaston.
DISGUST OVER EMBARRASSING FARCE
Australia's top order batting was awful at Edgbaston but the umpiring may have been worse.
Aleem Dar in particular came in for heavy criticism from the cricket world as he had a shocker.
First, he didn't give David Warner out when he got a tickle on a ball down the leg side in the second over, then Dar raised his finger for LBW to send the Aussie opener on his way despite Hawkeye showing the ball would have missed leg stump.
Dar gave Steve Smith out LBW to Stuart Broad but the former Australian captain challenged the decision and was right to do so as the ball wasn't coming back in far enough to hit off stump.
The same official later gave James Pattinson out LBW for a duck but the ball was once again shown to be travelling down leg.
Up the other end, Joel Wilson wasn't in peak form either. He didn't give Usman Khawaja out despite the left-hander edging Chris Woakes behind while Matthew Wade was also given not-out following an LBW shout when the ball was crashing into the stumps.
Fortunately for England, it reviewed on both occasions and got its men.
Wilson gave Peter Siddle out LBW but one look at a replay was enough to establish he got a massive inside edge and the fast bowler was allowed to remain in the middle after his successful challenge.
Former cricket stars like Shane Warne, Mark Waugh and Darren Berry blasted the substandard umpiring on display in Birmingham as angry fans also took to social media to vent.
Update ! England are bowling very well. The umpiring has been horrific from ball 1 & so has the reviews process of the right ones from Aust. And the batting has lacked any intent as the Australians have looked nervous, all this equals 119/7 !
— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) August 1, 2019
I knew it. What is going on. A. Dar is kidding and what are we doing with not reviewing twice.
— Mark Waugh (@juniorwaugh349) August 1, 2019
Seriously. Hasn’t been a good day for umpires 🙈 England bowling the house down but a massive inside edge followed by the most obvious bump ball you’ll see on top of the previous errors for both sides. C’mon now... #Ashes
— Trent Copeland (@copes9) August 1, 2019
Former England captain Michael Atherton said in commentary: "The standard of umpiring today has been ordinary."
SMITH'S MAGIC MOMENT
It's been more than 16 months in the making but Steve Smith finally has another century for Australia, scoring a sensational 144.
The former captain's last Test century came against England in 2017 and it was only fitting he saved his best for Australia's most bitter rival when it mattered most.
After being rubbed out of the game for one year there were question marks over whether Smith would be able to reach the Bradman-esque heights he'd soared to before the Cape Town scandal.
He crushed those doubts at Edgbaston. The 30-year-old wasn't at his best technically or in regards to shotmaking but still England couldn't get him out as he resolved to dig in and fight for his survival every ball.
This innings won't provide as much material for the highlights reel as some of Smith's others but it will surely rank as one of the best of his career.
BATTING WOES CONTINUE
Australia hasn't won a Test series in England since 2001 and that's mainly because the batting over the past 18 years hasn't been good enough.
The men with the willow haven't been able to deal with the seam and swing in England and that worrying trait was on show again overnight.
Cameron Bancroft didn't justify his return to the side when he was caught at slip fishing loosely outside off stump and Usman Khawaja's poor record in England continued as he edged behind for 13.
Travis Head promised an innings of substance but didn't go on with things and was LBW for 35 while Matthew Wade was trapped LBW for a single, unable to capitalise on a rich vein on form.
Tim Paine will be especially disappointed, getting caught in the deep from a pull shot he failed to keep down — a similar way to how he was dismissed several times during the home Ashes series in 2017/18.
Apart from Head, only Steve Smith and Peter Siddle put up any real resistance and if the Aussie batsmen can't reverse what's become an alarming trend on English shores then it could be a very long series.
FASHION CRIME STILL MAKING CRICKET LOVERS SICK
Knowing this day was coming hasn't made it any easier for fans to accept the bold new look Test cricket has embraced.
Australia and England became the first teams to wear shirts with names and numbers on them in the longest format at Edgbaston and the optics proved a little too jarring for some.
Aussie legend Adam Gilchrist was no fan and plenty of others shared his view.
"Sorry to sound old fashioned but not liking the names and numbers," Gilchrist wrote on Twitter.
"In fact, I'll take my apology back. The names and numbers are rubbish. Enjoy the series everyone."
Sorry, names and numbers on cricket shirts in Test matches is just wrong. Some things are sacrosanct. #TheAshes #TheAshes2019
— Dominic Harris (@DominicHarris8) August 1, 2019
England icon Geoffrey Boycott and BBC commentator Jonathan Agnew both applauded the initiative but maybe there's still some finetuning needed after a couple of noticeable flaws with the update were pointed out.
There are no numbers or names on the back of players' jumpers so when they opt for an extra layer the identifiable features are hidden. There are also no numbers next to players on scorecards being sold at the ground or on the scoreboard at Edgbaston, so the numbers become redundant anyway.
JIMMY ANDERSON'S INJURY WORRY
England will be sweating on the fitness of star quick Jimmy Anderson after he bowled just four overs on day one before going off for scans on his right calf.
The Test veteran suffered a calf injury during County cricket earlier this year and was in a race against time to be fit for the series opener but England gambled by picking him in the starting XI even though he was underdone.
Anderson was on the field for the entire morning session, leading many to question why Joe Root wasn't bowling him more often. But he fielded in catching positions so he didn't have to run and it became clear why during the lunch break when his calf trouble was announced.
Fortunately for England, all-rounder Ben Stokes was able to fill in the missing overs of seam but if Anderson is ruled out of the remainder of this Test and possibly the next match at Lord's, it would be a massive blow because he is the world's best bowler in English conditions.
OPINION: Clayton McMillan faces a potential fourth final loss in five years tomorrow.