Wicketkeeper Alex Carey's Brilliant Ton Helps The Hosts Regroup After Early English Ashes Charge.

In the wake of that pandemonium from the Perth Test and Brisbane's day-night spectacle, an outbreak of familiar brand regarding the longest format was witnessed on the turf of the Adelaide ground. For the locals, it was one to enjoy, as local hero the wicketkeeper-batsman notched up a magnificent hundred on his home ground to help the home side edge the opening day.

Not that The touring English side, trailing 2-0 while still fighting in this contest, could be entirely disheartened. Skipper Ben Stokes had lost what seemed like a significant coin toss and, though not at their best, the English attack kept persevering under sweltering heat. At stumps, the Australians had reached 326 for eight off 83 overs – a total on the board yet likely below initial expectations when Pat Cummins got the choice first thing.

Jofra Archer Stands Out For England's Effort.

The most impressive performer for the tourists proved to be Jofra Archer. Returning figures of three for 29 off 16 overs were a powerful riposte against the scrutiny directed at him this past week. Here he visibly led the bowling unit, clocking around 88mph (142kmh) on the speed gun and offering his captain a combination of control together with obvious menace. Only at the very end of the day – one over using the fresh cherry – that he appeared a bit jaded.

After dismissed Jake Weatherald early on, the fast bowler's initial over post-lunch accounted for Marnus Labuschagne followed by Cameron Green within just three deliveries. The all-rounder's golden duck was a stark reminder that cricket can bring even a celebrated player back to reality, coming from weak chip to mid-wicket occurring barely a day after trousering a massive £1.5m deal in the Indian Premier League.

The Keeper's Invaluable Innings Steadies The Innings.

Alex Carey's day, in contrast, was simply invaluable, culminating at late afternoon as he drove Stokes through the covers for three and the crowd rose in a huge roar. Coming off his virtuoso outing behind the stumps in Brisbane, the left-hander's counterattacking 106 runs from 143 deliveries made sure that a post-lunch wobble to 94/4 did not become a full-blown collapse. At 34, Carey has become a serious cricketer these days.

Australia undoubtedly left some potential runs out there, however. Gone was that excessive pace and bounce from the first two Tests replaced by only a fraction of nibble if the right area was located.

The pitch also offered some grip for off-spinner Will Jacks, even if his control was typical of a part-time spinner – resulting in expensive figures of 2/105 off his 20 overs – but the deliveries he did get to turn sharply will give hope to Nathan Lyon.

Emotional Context with A Late Switch.

The day's play was always going to be an emotional occasion for Australia, coming so soon in the wake of a devastating terrorist attack at Bondi. The minute’s silence observed prior to the start of play was perfectly observed, broken only by musician John Williams performing an emotional version of True Blue.

Earlier, the hosts were also compelled to make a change from their stated starting eleven. Veteran batsman Steve Smith was withdrawn after reporting feeling dizzy along with nausea in the morning – seemingly return of the vertigo that has intermittently affected the star batter since being felled by a Jofra Archer bouncer at Lord’s six years ago.

His place was taken by Usman Khawaja, just 24 hours after many felt his international career could be over. Until Carey's heroics, the left-hander had held the innings together, walking out with the score on 33 for two before finessing a fine 82 from 126 balls just a day from his 39th birthday. Partnerships worth 61 runs with Marnus Labuschagne and 91 runs with Carey were crucial.

England's Frustration Continues.

Aside from Archer's efforts, and notwithstanding the sapping conditions, it remained still another frustrating outing from the English bowling attack. Seamer Brydon Carse somewhat rolled over his form of the first two Tests, finishing with figures of 2/70 off his 13 overs, and the recalled Josh Tongue claimed 1/63 from 15 overs.

Carse was all over the shop when tasked with sharing the new ball first thing, overstepping on five occasions but still removing Travis Head for 10 thanks to a spectacular one-handed catch by Zak Crawley at cover. This moment encapsulated the day for both sides: brilliance mixed with some error-prone cricket.