David Warner’s return to five-day international cricket was bizarre and short-lived as he walked back for 2, with England fans waving sandpaper in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston on Thursday.

As expected, the visitors included all three players given lengthy bans for their roles in a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa last year – Warner, Cameron Bancroft and former captain Steve Smith.

Openers Bancroft and Warner knew they would be booed on their way to the middle, judging by the hostile reception Warner and top-order batsman Smith received during the recent World Cup in England and Wales.

They did not have to wait even that long to face the boo-boys, with the Australia team as a whole jeered onto the field for a pre-match anthem ceremony – an unusual occurrence before a Test match in England.

And then, Warner’s 14-ball innings unfolded in bizarre fashion. He edged one down the leg side off the first ball, and it was not reviewed. England then reviewed an LBW decision which turned out to be bouncing high. And later, when Warner was given out eventually, replays showed that the ball was missing leg stump. Stuart Broad was the bowler on all three occasions.

And Warner was sent off with England fans waving sandpaper in the stands (which was repeated when Bancroft was dismissed shortly after as well). Broad removed Bancroft too and as expected, the 26-year-old also received a hostile reception on his way back to the pavilion.

Earlier, Australia captain Tim Paine won the toss and decided to bat.

Ashes-holders Australia have not won a match of any kind at Edgbaston since 2001, while England have won their past 11 internationals at the Birmingham ground.

Australia are looking for their first Ashes series win in England in 18 years.

“The wicket looks nice and hard and dry,” said Paine at the toss. “Hopefully we post a good total and we’ve got (off-spinner) Nathan Lyon up our sleeve at the back end of the game.”

Reserve wicketkeeper Matthew Wade was included as a specialist batsman after making three hundreds for Australia A on their tour of England. Usman Khawaja was also back in the top order following a hamstring injury that cut short his involvement in the World Cup.

Australia also included experienced paceman Peter Siddle, who has been playing English county cricket this season for Essex, in an attack featuring James Pattinson and Pat Cummins.

But there was no place for World Cup spearhead Mitchell Starc as well as Josh Hazlewood.

England captain Joe Root named his side on Wednesday.

The Edgbaston match is the first of a five-Test series and the first of the ICC’s new World Test Championship, with players’ names and squad numbers displayed on the backs of their shirts for the first time in this format.

Teams:

England: Rory Burns, Jason Roy, Joe Root (capt), Joe Denly, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow (wkt), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, James Anderson

Australia: David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Matthew Wade, Tim Paine (capt/wkt), Pat Cummins, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon

(With AFP inputs)