New captain Pat Cummins celebrated a perfect start to the role as Australia’s fast bowlers tore through England on the opening day of the first Ashes Test at the Gabba.

Cummins claimed a five-wicket haul on his first day as Australia’s 47th Test captain as England were dismissed shortly before tea on day one for 147.

An afternoon thunderstorm followed the end of England’s innings, wrecking the evening session as no further play was possible.

Australia’s first innings will get underway on Thursday with play resuming at the earlier time of 9.30am AEST.

Cummins’ 5-38 led the way for the hosts while Mitchell Starc (2-35), Josh Hazlewood (2-42) and Cameron Green (1-6) all claimed scalps.

Starc began the rout with the very first ball of the match, swinging a full delivery around Rory Burns’ pads to bowl the English opener for his sixth Test duck this calendar year.

It is just the second time in Ashes history a batsman has been dismissed off the first delivery of a series and had the capacity Brisbane crowd on their feet.

It’s also the 13th time Starc has claimed a wicket in the first over of a Test innings since 2014.

From the other end Hazlewood chimed in with two quick wickets of his own, including England captain Joe Root for a duck, as the tourists slumped to 3-11 inside six overs.

Superstar allrounder Ben Stokes then came to the middle but when he fell in the first over after drinks to become Cummins’ first victim as Australia captain, England were reeling at 4-29.

Cummins struck again in the first over after lunch to remove Haseeb Hamed (25) before a 52-run stand by Jos Buttler and Ollie Pope halted the hosts’ charge.

When Buttler nicked a Starc delivery to debutant wicketkeeper Alex Carey to end his 58-ball 39, the English once again collapsed.

Green then snared his maiden Test wicket when he had Pope (35) caught at deep backward square-leg by Hazlewood before Cummins claimed his third wicket with the dismissal of Ollie Robinson (0).

As a thunderstorm closed in on the Gabba, Cummins wrapped up the innings with the final wickets of Mark Wood (8) and Chris Woakes (21) to put Australia in a great position.

The heavens opened during the break, with play unable to resume later due to bad light.

England went into the Test without either Stuart Broad or Jimmy Anderson for the first time since 2006 after Broad was omitted from the tourists’ line-up before the toss.