ASHES cricket was supposed to be gritty, give 'em nowt stuff- a higher quality version of a Roses match.

So how do we start the 2001 series? - with crazy cricket, a helter-skelter rollercoaster thrill-a-minute game that produced 427 runs and 12 wickets.

And at the end of it all a breathless 19,000 crowd still didn't know who had the upper hand.

What they did know was that they had just witnessed one of the most astonishing first days in Ashes history.

As Shane Warne said: ''It was a fantastic day's cricket, very exciting excellent entertainment and all I can say to the fans is get down here and watch it.''

No doubt about it - if the rest of this Series is anything near as good as the opening three sessions it's going to be a humdinger.

Warne threat

Warne will play a huge part in it after proving, with a mesmerising spell of 4-2 in 20 balls that he is as dangerous as ever.

Rumours that he was a has-been after operations on his shoulder, knee and spinning finger were, I'm afraid, extremely premature.

Yet the leg-spin legend had to hand it to England for their incredible fightback with Andy Caddick, ignoring the pain in his damaged left hand, and Alec Stewart piling on 103 for the last wicket in 58 minutes of pure mayhem.

Warne admitted: ''England could have caved in but they showed they have more fight, passion and determination nowadays.''

Caddick, whose unbeaten 49 brought the house down, said: ''Perhaps Alec and I made a point and I think others in the side will want to do the same.''

England suffered a hammering from Michael Slater late in the day as the Aussies roared out their reply racing to 133-2 at more than six an over.

All told the evening session produced 230 runs.

You don't see scoring like that in one-day matches never mind an Ashes Test.

Even Mike Atherton, with a superb half-century, had sprinted along at a run-a-minute in his century stand with Mark Butcher.

It's finely balanced with today's first session set to be crucial.

Caddick said: ''If we can get two or three wickets before lunch without conceding too many then it really is game on''.

And Warne admitted: ''It's about 50-50. The first session of day two will be a big, big session''.