Alex Carey's Brilliant Ton Assists The Hosts Recover After A Swift England Ashes Assault.

Following that frenzy from Perth as well as the Gabba's day-night palooza, a more familiar brand of Test cricket broke out on the turf of Adelaide Oval. For the South Australian fans, it was one to enjoy, as their boy Alex Carey delivered a sparkling hundred on his home ground as Australia Australia just shade the first day's play.

However, England, trailing 2-0 and clinging on in the series, were too disheartened. Skipper Ben Stokes had lost what appeared a significant coin toss and, though not perfect, his bowlers continued toiling under sweltering conditions. At stumps, Australia had reached 326-8 off 83 overs bowled – a total on the board but surely below their expectations when captain Pat Cummins won the choice in the morning.

The Pace of Archer Leads The Tourist's Resistance.

The standout for England was speedster Jofra Archer. Figures of three for 29 from 16 overs were a powerful riposte against some of criticism that came this past week. On this day he clearly spearheaded the attack, clocking 88mph (142kmh) with the speed gun while providing his captain a combination of accuracy and obvious threat. Only at the end of the day – during a single over using the second new ball – that he appeared somewhat weary.

Having bounced out opener Jake Weatherald early on, the fast bowler's initial over after lunch wiped out Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green in the space of three balls. The all-rounder's duck was a reminder that this sport can swiftly bring a player back to reality, his weak chip to the mid-wicket fielder occurring less than a day following trousering a record £1.5m contract for the upcoming IPL.

Carey's Invaluable Innings Rescues The Innings.

Alex Carey's performance, however, was simply priceless, peaking at 4.48pm as he elegantly drove Ben Stokes through the covers for three which prompted the Adelaide faithful rose in a huge roar. Coming off that virtuoso outing with the gloves at the Gabba, the left-hander's counterattacking 106 runs from 143 deliveries made sure that a mid-innings stumble to 94/4 failed to develop into a complete crisis. At 34, Carey is a genuinely Test match player nowadays.

Australia undoubtedly left a few potential runs out there, though. Gone was that excessive pace and bounce of the first two Tests replaced by just a hint of nibble when a good length was hit.

The pitch also offered a bit of turn for off-spinner Will Jacks, even if his consistency was typical of a part-time spinner – resulting in figures of two for 105 from his 20 overs – but the deliveries he did get to turn sharply will encourage Australia's own spinner, Nathan Lyon.

Emotional Context and A Late Switch.

This was always going to be an emotional occasion for Australia, arriving so shortly in the wake of a devastating terrorist attack in Bondi. The minute’s silence observed prior to the first ball was perfectly observed, followed by folk singer John Williams performing an emotional rendition of 'True Blue'.

By this stage, the hosts were also forced into an alteration to their announced XI. Steve Smith pulled out after reporting feeling dizzy along with sickness first thing – seemingly return of the vertigo that has intermittently troubled the star batter since he was struck by Archer at Lord’s six years ago.

In came Usman Khawaja, just 24 hours after many felt his international career could be finished. Until the wicketkeeper's heroics, the left-hander had held the Australian innings steady, walking out at 33/2 and crafting a fine 82 off 126 deliveries a day out before his 39th birthday. Stands worth 61 runs with Marnus Labuschagne plus another of 91 runs with Carey were significant.

The Tourist's Frustration Continues.

Aside from Archer's efforts, and despite the sapping heat, it remained yet another frustrating day for England’s attack. Seamer Brydon Carse rather continued his inconsistent form of the series, picking up figures of 2/70 from his 13 overs, and the incoming Josh Tongue picked up 1/63 in 15 overs.

Carse looked erratic when handed sharing the new ball first thing, overstepping on five occasions but still dismissing Travis Head for 10 courtesy of a spectacular catch by Zak Crawley at cover. It rather summed up the day's play for both sides: moments of brilliance interspersed with some error-prone cricket.