Wicketkeeper Alex Carey's Brilliant Ton Helps The Baggy Greens Bounce Back From Early English Ashes Onslaught.

In the wake of the pandemonium from Perth as well as Brisbane's pink-ball spectacle, a more traditional brand regarding Test cricket was witnessed at Adelaide Oval. For the locals, the day proved one to enjoy, as homegrown talent the wicketkeeper-batsman notched up an outstanding century on his home turf as Australia Australia just shade the first day's play.

However, England, 2-0 down and clinging on in this series, were too disheartened. Skipper Ben Stokes had lost what appeared a significant toss and, despite being far from at their best, the English attack continued persevering in 35c heat. By the close of play, the Australians had reached 326 for eight from 83 overs bowled – runs on the board but surely below their expectations when captain Pat Cummins got the toss in the morning.

Jofra Archer Stands Out For England's Fightback.

The standout for the tourists was Jofra Archer. Returning figures of three for 29 from 16 overs were a powerful riposte to some of criticism directed at him his way. Here he clearly spearheaded the bowling unit, clocking 88mph (142kmh) on the speedometer and offering his captain a combination of control and clear threat. It was only towards the end of play – during a single over using the fresh cherry – did he look somewhat jaded.

After dismissed Jake Weatherald early on, the fast bowler's initial over post-lunch wiped out Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green in the space of three balls. Green's duck served as a reminder of how cricket can swiftly bring a player back to reality, coming from tepid chip to mid-wicket occurring barely a day after trousering a massive multi-million dollar contract in the Indian Premier League.

The Keeper's Invaluable Innings Steadies The Innings.

Alex Carey's performance, in contrast, was simply priceless, peaking at 4.48pm as he drove Stokes through cover for three and the Adelaide faithful to rise with a roar. Coming off that virtuoso outing with the gloves in Brisbane, the left-hander's aggressive 106 off 143 deliveries made sure that a mid-innings stumble of 94 for four did not become a complete collapse. At 34, Carey has become a genuinely cricketer nowadays.

Australia undoubtedly left some potential runs out there, however. Gone was that pronounced pace and bounce from the first two Tests and in its place just a hint of seam movement if the right area was hit.

There was also some grip to off-spinner Will Jacks, although his consistency was that of a part-time spinner – hence expensive figures of two for 105 from his 20 overs – and the balls that did to turn sharply will give hope to Australia's own spinner, Nathan Lyon.

Emotional Backdrop with Late Switch.

This was always going to be an emotional day for Australia, coming so soon in the wake of the horrific terrorist attack in Bondi. A minute's silence observed before the start of play was perfectly held, followed by folk singer a rendition delivering an emotional rendition of True Blue.

By this stage, Australia had also been compelled to make a change to their stated starting eleven. Veteran batsman Steve Smith pulled out after reporting feeling dizzy and sickness in the morning – an apparent return of a vertigo issue which has periodically 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 it was speculated his international career may be over. Before the wicketkeeper's heroics, Khawaja had held the Australian innings together, coming to the crease at 33 for two and finessing 82 off 126 balls a day out before turning 39. Partnerships of 61 with Labuschagne plus another of 91 runs with Carey proved significant.

The Tourist's Mixed Bag Persists.

Aside from Archer's efforts, and despite the sapping conditions, this was still another disappointing outing from the English bowling attack. Brydon Carse somewhat continued his inconsistent form from the series, finishing with figures of 2/70 from 13 overs, while the incoming Josh Tongue picked up 1/63 from 15 overs.

The Durham bowler looked all over the shop when handed sharing the new ball early on, no-balling on five occasions but still removing Travis Head for 10 thanks to a sublime one-handed catch by Zak Crawley at cover. This moment summed up the day's play for both sides: brilliance interspersed with periods of error-prone play.