Australia's Alex Carey's Stunning Ton Aids The Hosts Bounce Back From An Early English Ashes Assault.

After the pandemonium from Perth as well as Brisbane's day-night spectacle, an outbreak of familiar style of the longest format broke out at Adelaide Oval. For the home crowd, the day proved one to cherish, as their boy Alex Carey notched up a sparkling century on his home venue to help the home side just shade the first day's play.

Not that England, 2-0 down while clinging on in this contest, were entirely disappointed. Skipper Ben Stokes had lost what seemed like a significant coin toss and, though not perfect, the English attack continued plugging away in scorching heat. By the close of play, Australia were 326-8 off 83 overs – runs on the board yet likely short of initial ambitions when Pat Cummins got the toss in the morning.

The Pace of Archer Leads England's Fightback.

The most impressive performer among England proved to be Jofra Archer. Figures of 3/29 from his 16 overs constituted a strong riposte to the scrutiny directed at him this past week. Here he visibly led the attack, averaging around 88mph (142kph) on the speed gun and offering his captain a combination of control and clear threat. Only at the end of play – one over with the second new ball – did he look somewhat weary.

After bounced out Jake Weatherald first thing, Archer's first over post-lunch accounted for Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green in the space of three balls. The all-rounder's duck served as a stark reminder that this sport can bring even a celebrated player back to reality, his weak chip shot to the mid-wicket fielder arriving less than a day after trousering a massive £1.5m deal for the upcoming IPL.

The Keeper's Priceless Innings Rescues The Ship.

Carey's day, in contrast, was nothing short of invaluable, culminating at late afternoon as he drove Ben Stokes through the covers for three and the crowd rose with a roar. Fresh from that virtuoso display behind the stumps in Brisbane, the left-hander's aggressive 106 runs off 143 balls made sure that the post-lunch wobble to 94 for four did not become a complete collapse. At 34, Carey has become a serious Test match player nowadays.

The Australian batting lineup undoubtedly left a few potential runs on the field, however. Gone was the excessive bounce of the opening matches replaced by just a hint of seam movement if the right area was located.

The pitch also offered a bit of grip for Will Jacks, even if his control was that of a part-time spinner – hence figures of 2/105 from his 20 overs – and the balls that did to turn sharply will give hope to Nathan Lyon.

Emotional Context and A Late Switch.

This was inevitably an emotional day for the host nation, arriving so shortly after a devastating terrorist attack in Bondi. The minute’s silence observed before the first ball was perfectly held, broken only by musician John Williams performing an emotional rendition of 'True Blue'.

By this stage, the hosts had also been compelled to make a change to their announced starting eleven. Steve Smith was withdrawn after reporting dizziness along with nausea first thing – an apparent recurrence of a vertigo issue which has intermittently affected him ever since he was struck by Archer at Lord’s six years ago.

His place was taken by Usman Khawaja, a day after it was speculated his Test career may be finished. Before the wicketkeeper's heroics, Khawaja had held the Australian innings steady, coming to the crease at 33 for two and finessing a fine 82 from 126 balls a day out from his 39th birthday. Stands worth 61 runs with Marnus Labuschagne plus another of 91 with Carey were crucial.

The Tourist's Mixed Bag Continues.

Aside from Archer's efforts, and despite the energy-sapping conditions, it remained yet another frustrating day from the English bowling attack. Seamer Brydon Carse rather continued his inconsistent form from the series, finishing with figures of 2/70 off his 13 overs, and the incoming Josh Tongue picked up one for 63 in 15 overs.

The Durham bowler was all over the shop when tasked with sharing the new ball early on, no-balling five times yet removing Travis Head for just 10 runs courtesy of a sublime one-handed catch by Zak Crawley in the covers. This moment summed up the day's play for both teams: brilliance interspersed with periods of sloppy play.