Australia's Alex Carey's Sparkling Ton Aids The Hosts Recover After An Early England Test Series Onslaught.

Following the chaos of the Perth Test and Brisbane's pink-ball spectacle, a more familiar style of the longest format broke out on the turf of the Adelaide ground. For the delighted home crowd, the day proved a day to cherish, with homegrown talent Alex Carey delivered an outstanding century on his home ground as Australia the home side edge day one.

However, The touring English side, trailing 2-0 and still fighting in the contest, were too disappointed. Ben Stokes lost out on what appeared a crucial coin toss and, despite being far from at their best, the English attack kept toiling in sweltering conditions. By the close of play, Australia had reached 326 for eight off 83 overs bowled – runs on the board yet likely below initial ambitions after captain Pat Cummins got the toss in the morning.

Jofra Archer Leads The Tourist's Resistance.

The most impressive performer among England proved to be speedster Jofra Archer. Returning figures of 3/29 from his 16 overs were a strong response against the criticism that came his way. On this day he clearly spearheaded the attack, clocking 88mph (142kmh) on the speed gun while providing his captain a combination of accuracy together with obvious threat. It was only towards the very end of play – during a single over with the fresh cherry – that he appeared a bit weary.

Having bounced out Jake Weatherald first thing, Archer's first 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 cricket can bring a player back down to earth, coming from weak chip to the mid-wicket fielder occurring less than a day following trousering a massive multi-million dollar deal in the IPL.

Carey's Priceless Contribution Steadies The Innings.

Carey's day, in contrast, was simply invaluable, peaking at 4.48pm as he elegantly drove Stokes through the covers for three and the Adelaide faithful to rise in a huge roar. Coming off his masterful display behind the stumps at the Gabba, the left-hander's aggressive 106 from 143 deliveries made sure that the post-lunch wobble to 94/4 failed to develop into a full-blown crisis. At 34, Carey is a serious Test match player these days.

The Australian batting lineup did leave some runs out there, however. Gone was that pronounced pace and bounce of the first two Tests replaced by only a fraction of nibble when the right area was hit.

The pitch also offered some turn for Will Jacks, even if his consistency was that of a part-timer – resulting in expensive figures of two for 105 off 20 overs – but the deliveries he did get to misbehave will give hope to Australia's own spinner, Nathan Lyon.

Emotional Backdrop and A Late Team Change.

The day's play was inevitably an emotional occasion for the host nation, arriving so shortly after the horrific tragic incident at Bondi. A minute's silence observed prior to the start of play was immaculately held, broken only by musician John Williams delivering an emotional version of True Blue.

By this stage, the hosts were also forced into an alteration to their stated XI. Veteran batsman Steve Smith pulled out due to feeling dizzy along with sickness in the morning – seemingly recurrence of a vertigo issue which has periodically affected him ever since he was struck 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 Test career could be over. Before Carey's heroics, Khawaja had expertly held the Australian innings together, walking out at 33 for two before crafting 82 from 126 balls a day out from his 39th birthday. Partnerships of 61 with Labuschagne plus another of 91 with Carey proved significant.

England's Frustration Continues.

Archer aside, and despite the energy-sapping heat, this was still another frustrating outing from England’s attack. Seamer Brydon Carse rather rolled over his inconsistent form from the first two Tests, picking up two for 70 from 13 overs, and the incoming Josh Tongue picked up one for 63 in 15 overs.

Carse was erratic when tasked with sharing the duty of the new ball early on, overstepping on five occasions but still dismissing Travis Head for just 10 runs courtesy of a sublime catch by Zak Crawley in the covers. It rather summed up the day's play for both sides: moments of brilliance mixed with some sloppy cricket.