Scorer: Sanjay Murari | Commentator: Alan Gardner
10.10pm: We've just seen more than twice as many runs in 40 overs as England scored in 98 at The Oval last Friday. What does that tell us? Probably something terrible... Anyway, Gnasher's report will chronicle tonight's circus freakshow of batting - join us again in a couple of days for the rematch. Cheerio
10pm: Right, time for the post-match rubdown. England captain, Stuart Broad: "We're really disappointed that we lost but full credit has to go to the way Australia batted, Finch especially. We tried everything but he was unstoppable, he hit 14 sixes, it was incredible. His first ball went for six. We knew it was going to be a good wicket but not quite that good. The batsmen want to pitch a tent up here and the bowlers want to get on the flight to Durham. Hopefully we get the same excitement up there, though. Joe did incredibly well in his first international T20 innings, it's what we've come to expect."
Australia captain, George Bailey: "I think the only innings I've seen like [Finch's] was Chris Gayle in the IPL. When he hits sixes he tries to hit them 40 rows back... We've found that Watto is so good at playing spin bowling, with a view to the next World T20, we can have him come in at four and take them out. We knew it was going to be a really good wicket and would be a hard ground to defend. There are always a few things to work on, though. I thought we bowled back of a length a bit more, and changed things up. We were a bit short to Root, who likes it there. Fawad Ahmed's last over was nice, his first game, big occasion but he go through it okay."
Aaron Finch, to the surprise of no one, is named Man of the Match: "It's good to come here from the Australia A side and play some good cricket. It was one of those days, not easy for the quicks, no spin, so I managed to get it away." Nice line in understatement, there, from the man who made the highest-ever score in Twenty20 internationals earlier tonight.
9.50pm: By most available metrics, Australia smashed that. It was a contest that rained sixes (until England batted), sweated fours, the highest-scoring T20 international ever - England made their second-highest score and still lost by a distance. Aaron Finch stamped his mark so hard on the game that England will still feel sore when they wake up tomorrow morning. Joe Root's jaw might also smart, after getting clocked by his third ball, but again he showed he doesn't mind wearing one - and that was his first T20I knock, too.
Out comes Stuart Broad - can he get Root on strike?
JC Buttler b Faulkner 27 (25m 17b 1x4 2x6) SR: 158.82
Chris Rogers on being picked for his first Ashes, and the advice he received before the tour
Shortly before he left for the tour to Australia, Graeme Swann talked about playing for England, the Ashes rivalry, and retirement
Michael Clarke's Ashes diary is guarded - as is to be expected from a book written at this stage of his career
Alastair Cook has enjoyed a fine first year as captain of the England Test and ODI teams, but the failure to win the final of the Champions Trophy still hurts.
Bilaterals tacked on to the end of a Test series, or hastily arranged triangulars, could gather meaning if teams had something bigger to fight for. But will cricket's major teams ever agree to such a proposition?
