England vs. Australia: 1st Ashes Test Day 1 Takeaways from Cardiff

It could have been better for Australia; it could have been a lot worse for England. After the opening day of the first Ashes Test, it is tough to work out who holds the upper hand.

Having won the toss and opted to bat first in Cardiff, England reached the close of play on 343 for seven.

The hosts had at one stage slipped to 43 for three in the morning session, only for Joe Root to inspire a recovery.

The Yorkshireman hit a superb hundred, and with Gary Ballance and Ben Stokes weighing in with contrasting half-centuries, England will have their eyes on 400 or more on the second morning.

Australia, though, will not be too upset with the match situation after being sent into the field. Yet they will know they let their rivals off the hook after having them on the ropes prior to lunch.

With the dust now settled on Day 1, here are some takeaways on the action from the Welsh capital.

Building with Root

England were in a hole when Root came to the crease.

Alastair Cook and Ian Bell had just fallen straight after a drinks break, and—not for the first time this year—England needed the right-hander to dig them out of trouble.

He did so by taking the attack to Australia's bowlers. His aggressive approach paid off—anything short and wide he went at hard, while deliveries overpitched were driven either straight or through the covers.

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WATCH: Joe Root hammers another drive to bring up his second Ashes century! #MyAshesSummer https://t.co/kYssjtedEw

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 8, 2015"

Root's knock of 134 was another significant contribution for his country this year. So far in 2015, he has made two hundreds and four half-centuries in 10 Test innings.

He made 83 in the first Test against West Indies in the Caribbean when his side were three down in a hurry and then hit 98 at Lord's against New Zealand earlier in the summer after striding out at 25 for three.

It's fair to say he's in decent touch, though fortune definitely favoured the brave.

Australia missed a glorious chance to dismiss the batsman when he hadn't even managed to get off the mark.

Mitchell Starc found his outside edge second ball, but wicketkeeper Brad Haddin was unable to hang on to the chance as he attempted a one-handed grab while diving to his right.

At the time, some of the visiting team did not seem to realise it was a catch, believing it had been jammed into the ground and bounced before reaching Haddin. The miss proved costly, though some did not offer a lot of sympathy to the veteran gloveman:

Root's runs bailed England out of trouble again, but they cannot continuously rely on him to be their saviour.

Battles within the war

It was only the opening salvo in a long summer, but players can still lay down markers in the early stages that can have repercussions for the rest of the series.

In the final tour match before the first Test, Australia spinner Nathan Lyon was taken apart by Essex. He recorded match figures of one for 198 from 34.4 overs.

Alastair Cook did not play for Essex in that game at Chelmsford, but he seemed keen to take a leaf out of his county team-mate's book.

Going against his usual style of steady accumulation, he tried to attack Lyon early on in a bid to stop him from getting settled.

The policy did not work—not only did he fail to score a run in the 14 balls he faced from the slow bowler, but he also ended up being dismissed by him after the drinks break.

Lyon had the England captain caught behind by Haddin for 20, a dismissal that will leave Cook with plenty to ponder ahead of the rest of the series.

Gareth Copley/Getty Images

However, England did gain the upper hand against one of their opponents on Wednesday.

Mitchell Johnson was Australia's ace in the pack in the 2013/14 series on home soil, taking 37 wickets to help his country secure a 5-0 whitewash.

Yet, on a docile pitch in Cardiff, he went wicketless from his 20 overs. He tried his best to get a breakthrough, in the process testing the batsmen with plenty of short stuff.

Nick Hoult of the Telegraph summed up Johnson's efforts perfectly: "He bowled six spells and endured a wicketless day, something England could only dream about in the last series."

The left-arm paceman will not always be such a non-factor during the series, but England at least made sure old wounds were not immediately reopened.

The other seamer not named Mitchell

While Johnson was unable to make an immediate impact, Australia's other left-armer, Mitchell Starc, did at least pick up three wickets.

However, he also proved expensive, going at 4.42 runs an over.

Starc gave Ben Stokes the silent treatment after bowling the all-rounder in the final session, as tweeted by the ICC:

The pick of the touring attack, though, was not one of the two men named Mitchell.

Instead, it was Josh Hazlewood, a young seamer who was appearing in just his sixth Test and had never previously experienced the atmosphere of an Ashes encounter.

Prior to the series, the 24-year-old told Ali Martin of the Guardian that he was happy to be compared to another New South Welshman who enjoyed bowling in England, Glenn McGrath: "It’s not a burden at all. Glenn’s the best quick Australia has ever had so to be compared to him is pretty exciting."

You could see exactly why people had seen the similarity to McGrath, a man who claimed 157 wickets against England at an average of 20.92.

Tall and quick enough to keep batsmen honest, Hazlewood (6'5") made an effort to bowl a probing line outside off stump to left- and right-handers. 

He was the most reliable option for his captain, Michael Clarke, as he picked up three for 70.

His late dismissal of Jos Buttler was a welcome strike for the visitors just prior to the close. On a day when they were inconsistent with the ball, Hazlewood had them celebrating at the very end.

All stats used in the article are from ESPN Cricinfo.