Australia's Alex Carey's Sparkling Ton Aids Australia Recover From A Swift England Ashes Onslaught.

Following the frenzy of the Perth Test and Brisbane's day-night spectacle, an outbreak of familiar brand regarding Test cricket was witnessed on the turf of the Adelaide ground. For the South Australian fans, the day proved a day to cherish, with their boy Alex Carey delivered an outstanding hundred at his home venue as Australia Australia edge the first day's play.

However, The touring English side, trailing 2-0 and clinging on in this series, were entirely disheartened. Ben Stokes had lost what appeared an ominous toss and, though far from perfect, the English attack kept persevering under sweltering conditions. At stumps, the Australians had reached 326 for eight off 83 overs – a total on the board yet likely below initial expectations after captain Pat Cummins got the toss first thing.

The Pace of Archer Stands Out For England's Fightback.

The most impressive performer among the tourists proved to be Jofra Archer. Figures of 3/29 from 16 overs were a strong response to the criticism that came his way. Here he visibly led the attack, averaging 88mph (142kph) on the speedometer and offering Stokes both accuracy together with clear threat. It was only towards the very end of the day – during a single over with the fresh cherry – that he appeared a bit weary.

Having dismissed 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 golden duck was a reminder of how this sport can bring even a celebrated player back down to earth, coming from weak chip shot to the mid-wicket fielder arriving barely 24 hours after securing a record multi-million dollar contract in the IPL.

Carey's Invaluable Innings Rescues The Ship.

Alex Carey's performance, however, was simply invaluable, culminating at 4.48pm when he elegantly drove Ben Stokes through cover for three and the crowd rose in a huge roar. Coming off his virtuoso display behind the stumps at the Gabba, his aggressive 106 runs off 143 deliveries made sure that a mid-innings stumble to 94/4 failed to develop into a full-blown crisis. The 34-year-old has become a serious Test match player nowadays.

The Australian batting lineup did leave a few runs on the field, though. Gone was the excessive bounce from the first two Tests replaced by just a hint of seam movement if the right area was located.

The pitch also offered a bit of grip to Will Jacks, although his control was typical of a part-timer – resulting in figures of 2/105 from his 20 overs – but the deliveries he did get to turn sharply will give hope to Australia's own spinner, Nathan Lyon.

Solemn Backdrop and Late Switch.

The day's play was always going to be a poignant day for the host nation, coming so shortly after a devastating tragic incident in Bondi. The minute’s silence observed before the first ball was perfectly observed, followed by folk singer John Williams delivering a stirring rendition of the anthem 'True Blue'.

By this stage, Australia were also forced into an alteration to their announced XI. Steve Smith pulled out after reporting feeling dizzy and nausea first thing – an apparent recurrence of a vertigo issue that has periodically affected the star batter since he was struck by a Jofra Archer bouncer at Lord’s six years ago.

His place was taken by Usman Khawaja, a day after many felt his Test career may be over. Until Carey's arrival, Khawaja had expertly held the innings together, coming to the crease with the score on 33/2 and finessing 82 off 126 deliveries just a day before his 39th birthday. Stands worth 61 runs with Marnus Labuschagne plus another of 91 with Carey proved significant.

England's Mixed Bag Persists.

Aside from Archer's efforts, and notwithstanding the sapping heat, this was yet another frustrating outing for England’s attack. Brydon Carse rather rolled over his inconsistent form from the first two Tests, picking up figures of 2/70 from 13 overs, and the recalled Josh Tongue picked up one for 63 from 15 overs.

The Durham bowler was all over the shop when handed sharing the new cherry early on, overstepping five times but still removing Travis Head for just 10 runs thanks to a spectacular one-handed catch by Zak Crawley at cover. This moment encapsulated the day's play for both teams: moments of brilliance mixed with some error-prone cricket.