The match is finely balanced as we head towards the end of the first day. Fine weather and good cricket will deliver a great financial result for Adelaide Oval’s new tenants. Read below for a full recap of the day’s action on and off the field. See you tomorrow on the live blog.

4.37 PM: Clarke dropped by a sharply-diving Joe Root on 20. Catch of the millennium if he took that.

4.28 PM: As Broad bowls to Clarke – giving him a fair bit of trouble, which suggests that there’s a bit in this pitch for the bowler – it’s worth mentioning on small group of supporters who are sporting the name Broad today.

4.07 PM: For those thinking about finding a post-innings frothie, one of InDaily’s correspondents reports that the ‘front bar’ of our new venue is without a doubt the Peter Carey Bar (named after a famous South Australian footballer). Full of gentlemen enjoying long sessions, loud, and with plenty of spilled beer already is the verdict.

3.37PM:  The tea break has seen a large group of suit-wearers walk into the oval. They’re all taking selfies with the stands behind them.

‘Selfies in suits’

3.35PM: Steve Smith plays down the wrong line and is bowled. Australia go into tea, 4-174, as England fight back.

Monty P dances down the wicket, clearly delighted, and then does some tapping of his shoes which Kevin Pietersen finds hysterical. Don’t ask me to explain what happened there.

Smith played inside a Panesar ball that straightened – a bit, but not a lot. Says one journalist: if you can’t make runs here, it really imperils your test career.

3.13PM: It’s after three, so I think now’s a good time to discuss one of the key and most unique features of Adelaide Oval – the alchohol garden (probably not it’s real name).

For those unfamiliar – this is where the beautiful people of Adelaide go to be seen. It’s not about the cricket. The garden is largely unchanged from pre-redevelopment days, although it seems to be a bit bigger and more serious. That’s probably more about the Ashes being here than anything, though.

Despite the poor weather, the garden is still full of the young and the beautiful. There is a bunch of good dining/drinking options, including a large English Pub (although the most English thing it serves is gin and tonic apparently) and in a win for vibrancy one of Adelaide’s food trucks.

At about 12 this correspondent started to see the stadium fill up with the drinking set (before then it was mostly people who were interested in watching the game). And if you’re young and beautiful, your tipple of choice is Pimms. Which I’m told is something to do with Gin and fruit.

3.09PM: Steve Smith, who’s been given the day off school for this, makes his way out to the crease.

Did I mention he looks really young? he looks really really young

3.08PM: Oh dear. Rogers gone edging to the keeper off Swann, departs for 72.

Did somebody say batting collapse?

3.07PM:  Watson gone. Sloppy shot – hit it without a lot of power back to Anderson, who took an easy catch at knee-level. He looks very dissapointed as he walks off. And now to the crease: the captain.

That shot was just poorly timed. A slower one from Jimmy Anderson? Interesting that Anderson didn’t celebrate much; although, damn, does he look smug in the replay.

2.37PM: Another really cool thing – the ground appears to have its own individual feed for the site screens. The cameras used as the same as Channel 9s, but the supers are different, the edits are different, the replays are different – does the SMA actually have its own live edit team at the ground?

At any rate, it’s a huge improvement on the way AAMI used to do things – taking the commercial broadcaster’s coverage and then running unsightly coloured boxes over anything they didn’t want to show. Bravo.

2.32PM: Rogers got to 50 with another cracking cut shot. When he opens his arms, he looks great. The first half-centurion of the match is greeted with warm applause from the crowd.

When I watch Rogers play, he just looks terrified. I guess he knows that he’s only going to get one chance at his national career (unlike, say, 14-year-old Steve Smith) so he has to take it with every innings. He plays like a man terrified, terrified of getting out – and it kills his natural fluency, and leads him to play weird half shots as his concentration and concious self-control battle with his instinctual strokeplay.

On another matter – watching the replays of the David Warner dismissal and I’m reminded of his first out in the first test. Get him playing wide shots on the off side, then give him one a little closer to the body and draw him into an awkward pushing cut shot.

2.30PM: Rogers knocks up a careful 50 of 135 balls.

2.24PM: Back to stadium architecture. There’s something funny going on with the top level of the southern stand – it’s really bloody windy and cold. I think there’s a bit of a wind tunnel effect going on; wind gets into the stadium, then rips laterally right around it. Its strong enough to knock your coffee cup over,  and bitterly cold.

It’s a bit dissapointing because the outdoor areas here are clearly designed as key spaces. They’ve provided high-quality grub and lots of seats, but it’s just too cold and windy to enjoy onesself.

The people who are braving the outside areas up here have taken to huddling in what little sun there is, trying to stay warm.

It’s cold outside.

2.19PM: Ideas for an Adelaide Oval hashtag.

@liammannix how about #bestlookinghalffinishedstadiumintheworld

— Daniel Bennett (@DJB_LA) December 5, 2013

2.06PM: First big chant from the Barmy Army today.

“We are the army. The barmy barmy army.”

Rogers, meanwhile, cracks a four off Stokes.

2.06PM:  Had a few people wondering this, so can now confirm – the Australian team room is still in the western stand, on the second level. Always seemed odd – that’s not the best view in the ground.

2.04: Watson drives it back over Monty’s head.

On a pitch like this, if you make 40, you really should go on and make 100.

1.56PM: The Guardian says of new man in the England team, Stokes, he has an “extremely British aspect”. I assume they mean he likes warm beer.

The Guardian on Stokes: “Looks like he should be back in 1942, getting a last few rums and a bar brawl in before sailing out at dawn to take on the German Navy.”

So really they’re calling him a British Davey Warner?

1.46PM: Adelaide Oval management have made sure there are plenty of things to do today, other than watch the cricket.

For example – you can get your glasses cleaned and adjusted. Free!

There’s also an excellent booth allowing you to be photographed as a member of the Australian cricket team. See below for a photo of your earnest correspondent moments after winning his first baggy green.

1.35PM:  There is a lot of food being consumed. A lot. In the way of sporting stadiums everywhere, a lot of it is ending up as packaging and food waste underfoot. It’s a bit odd to walk into a conspicuously clean stadium at the start of the day and then by midday have it looking quite shop soiled.

Also worth noting – several kiosks are reporting they’re out of milk. So, you know, consider stockpiling or buying milk futures. Will keep you updated on this developing story throughout the day.

1.32PM: So the Hill, I have to say, is worse for wear thanks to the new development. It’s lost quite a bit of its space to new rows of seats, and now the whole thing feels a bit cramped to be honest, particularly the alchohol areas. Up the back is a bit more friendly, with mums and kids on little fold-out chairs. All very civilized.

That hasn’t stopped people from having fun. The fashion today is for these odd green and yellow hats with … feathers I think plastered on them?

Feathered hats?

The Year of the Onesie

1.35PM: Watson smashes a four to take the score to 1-85.

1.28PM: Rogers survives an LBW review. The ball grazes the stumps on hawk eye, so it’s umpires call – and that call is not out.

The ball from Panesar moved a long way of the pitch, gripped and turned really sharply. That’s big turn for day 1, comments one journalist. Good signs for the spinners – it should only get more grippy.

So Cook loses a review, despite the ball theoretically hitting the stumps. Consensus from the Brits in the press room – it’s a bad rule and he shouldn’t lose his review.

1.22PM: Monty’s introduction greeted with a rousing chorus of “MONTY” from the Barmy Army, followed by “here’s runs, Australia”. Traveling fans obviously don’t have a great deal of confidence in their number-two finger spinner.

Speaking of the Barmy Army, they’ve taken up residence on the Hill. Is that an insult to local fans, that we’ve surrendered our most hallowed turf to the old enemy? At any rate, they’re doing a fine job with it – singing, dancing, making merry, drinking heavily.

It’s always a good time for a onesie.

1.15PM: Aussies poking around carefully after lunch. Sunshine! Stay tuned for reports from the hill.

12.15PM: What is this? The video scoreboard is being used to play a strange game of rock-paper-scissors between members of the crowd and Nathan Lyon (who looks strangely sleep deprived). Turns out Lyon is a killer player.

Rain has stopped, covers are coming off slowly. But that’s lunch I think. Next up: Milo cricket

12.06PM: The British journalists have already declared #montygate #ashes

There’s a good write-up on the whole thing here.

The most interesting part of that story I think is down the bottom. Cricket Australia’s Twitter account has been repeatedly controversial.

Oh, and it’s still raining.

11.44AM: The wifi has been on and off in the press box all day. Now it’s off. Journos are starting to get rowdy – much as with coffee, never good to separate a working journalist from his internet.

One British journo throws his hands in the air. “This f***ing country,” he yells.

11.27AM: You know what’s been nice? The lack of politics.

I’m sure I wasn’t the only person expecting some blatant electioneering from the State Government today – this oval is, after all, almost the sum total of their election strategy for March 2014. I was sorta hoping the Premier would bowl the first over or something; Tom Koutsantonis leading a Mexican wave.

But there hasn’t been too much: a few friendly people in red shirts handing out information around the city; a South Australian brand logo painted on the surface. It’s nice – humble, even.

11.25AM:  Alright, and we’re off for rain again. Last time everybody bolted off; this time it’s a slow stroll from the Poms. A few heads dropped.

11.12AM: And Warner’s out. Weird shot, rather than hammering the cut shot he played it with a little upward flourish – and bobbed the ball up to Carberry at cover (leading to a debate to break out in the media box about whether he was at cover or extra cover).

I guess Davey W can’t be too disappointed with that. He’s a modern-day viking; he throws caution to the wind, boards his longboat, and knows that it’s either slaughter and pillaging or quick death.

11.10AM: Twitter helping out with the Adelaide Oval drinking game…

@liammannix drink every time someone posts a photo of the footbridge.

— Melissa Mack (@melissajmack) December 5, 2013

10.59AM: Let’s talk about the architecture of the stadium again, shall we?

The overhanging shadesails – our answer to the Opera House? – are vast. It’s really hard to express how big the one on the southern stand is. Unlike the sails on the eastern and western stands, the southern one is just one huge shade sail that stretches all the way across without any supports. It’s really rather staggering architecture.

10.56AM:  The media cafeteria (terrible coffee, as is the tradition) is watched over by a large framed portrait photo of the ABC’s Roger Wills. On ya, Rog.

10.55AM: In a continuation of form, Warner is racing along, while Rogers is doing his best impersonation of someone thoroughly uninterested in the game of test cricket.

Oh! Big edge from Warner there, just past the diving man at third slip.

10.52AM: British journalists are currently working with their Australian colleagues to put together an Adelaide Oval drinking game.

Currently you drink on:

– traditional

– is it as good as it used to be? or any other form of nostalgia

– what school did you go to?

– Cathedral End

10.49AM: Wandered out to get a taste of the stands themselves and was almost blown away. Not pleasant weather out there at the moment, reader.

Stuart Broad’s first over gets roundly booed. Good work, ‘Straya.

10.43AM: And play’s back on. Even some sunshine.

10.33AM: Oh dear. More rain. Hard to tell how heavy from the media box, looks like a thick mist, but it’s been enough to send everybody instantly jogging off. Score: 0/0

10.30AM: Right on the crack of 10.30, and we’re way. Anderson bowls to Rogers, and he isn’t out.

Important observation about Chris R. His team profile photo, which flashes up big on the screen (which looks gorgeous) makes him look like a total goober. Sorry Chris.

10.12 am:  A tale of two stands.

The eastern stand still has a lot of work to go, clearly. There are no seats, the glass on the corporate boxes isn’t fully in, and the shade sails are currently naked skeletons. But it looks like all the concrete is poured.

Look west, and you see the finished product – the Chappell Stand, the Sir Edwin Smith Stand, and in pride of place in the middle – the Sir Donald Bradman Pavillion (why didn’t they just call it the Don?). They look great, and are already filling up. One of my other favourite features of this stadium – and this isn’t new – is the use of historic red-brick throughout the design. In the western stand it weaves amongst the seats, lending everything a historic, classical sense.

Sitting in the southern stand – at an admittedly lofty elevation – the open northern end looks … not quite right. The trees are there, the hill is rowdy, the heritage scoreboard’s flags flutter in the wind, but beyond that there’s a bunch of low rise development and two ugly high rise apartment blocks. Not much of a view, to be honest.

The uncompleted eastern stand.

The completed western stands.

10.10 AM: Australia have won the toss and will bat first.

10.03 AM: I don’t know what it means for you, reader, but the media box at Adelaide Oval is amazing. Four rows of the world’s top cricket writing talent (plus your earnest correspondent). The amount of tweets emanating from this place right now is just extraordinary. Every journalist has been provided with a beer, which is warm – I guess that’s how the Poms like it.

9.48 AM: The sound system is great here, booming and crisp. Announcer just came on to say play is expected to start in about 45 mins.

9.41 AM:  And I’m in. Wow, this place just feels… premium. Very, very premium. The SACA members enter into a large void which stretches up several stories above you; no cramped caverns like AAMI. The roof is done with wooden fins (not the technical term) that, in addition to looking premium, drag the eye out towards the green… or where the green would be. The ground is designed so that when you walk in, right from the entrance, you can see over the bottom stand of seats and out to the green. But the SMA in their wisdom have put down big blinds today, so all you can see is blinds.

Take a few steps around the blinds and slide into an empty seat, however, and that emerald gem appears. Oh, it glimmers, reader. The stand I’m in, the southern stand bottom row, is entirely in shade. But the sun kisses the deck right on the fence and makes the whole thing glow. The covers are just being rolled off. This is going to be great.

9.31 AM: The ground’s main entrance is under this giant jutting copper UFO-thing. The copper is designed to weather with the stadium, one of my favourite design features.

Outside the lines to get in are remarkably short – perhaps a function of the big entry gate with lots of separate entrances. It’s going to be much easier getting in here than at AAMI.

The entrance is done is darkened glass, and the big copper UFO is supported by vast concrete supports. It lends the whole experience an ultra-premium feel.

The crowd seems to be skewing older, but there are lots of kids too.

The scene at the southern entrance to Adelaide Oval this morning.

9.26 AM:  After spending 10 minutes huddled under a small umbrella at the Convention Centre bar, watching the rain pour in and a fearsome gale strip the balloons from the footbridge and carry them up into the sky, I’ve finally made it across.

The footbridge is unfinished, but its potential is obvious. I wandered across with InDaily DESIGN contributor Andrew Wallace, who remarked on the sense of floating above the water that the bridge’s sleek design lends it. The elevation – a key design choice, and part of the reason for the thing’s expense – means you get a great view of the entire riverbank from anywhere along it. Strolling into the great white curves of the Oval really is quite majestic. Big tick from me.

9.11AM:  Meet Peter. He’s one of a brigade of red-shirted volunteers the State Government have placed all across Adelaide to act as tour guides and welcomers. He gave me a great flyer about everything riverbank over the next few days. He says everyone he’s spoken too has loved the experience, only positive things to say so far.

More rain. Oh no.

9.10AM: A downpour has hit the city, with winds stripping the colourful balloons from the footbridge.

9.05AM: Good morning and welcome to InDaily’s live Adelaide Oval Ashes blog – where we unwrap and review the new Adelaide Oval, our $500 million early christmas present to ourselves.

Despite cool weather and lingering damp from the morning showers, things are warming nicely to a carnival atmosphere down here. I’m currently sitting at the Convention Centre’s outdoor bar – the Blue Hive they’ve called it, although why is not immediately apparent. So far, it’s not quite buzzing down here because most people are understandably keen to get into the Oval for the first ball – but you get the sense, sitting here, that it’s just going to be lovely post-lunch.

The footbridge is open, people are walking across it, collapse does not look imminent. The entire structure is surrounded by a thicket of scaffolding. I’ll be strolling across it in a moment – stay tuned for a full review.

The footbridge is nice and wide, and has been decked out in gaudy multicoloured balloons – complemented by McConnell Dowell livery everywhere (that’s the firm that built the thing).

Behind the footbridge, the new Oval looms. It’s huge, and white, and domed. To be honest, I can’t even remember what old Adelaide Oval looked like. But the new one sure is pretty.