Wicketkeeper Alex Carey's Brilliant Century Assists The Hosts Bounce Back After A Swift England Ashes Charge.

Following that chaos of Perth as well as Brisbane's pink-ball palooza, a more traditional brand of red-ball cricket broke out at Adelaide Oval. For the delighted South Australian fans, the day proved one to enjoy, with homegrown talent Alex Carey notched up a magnificent hundred on his home venue as Australia Australia just shade the first day's play.

Not that The touring English side, 2-0 down while still fighting in the contest, were too downbeat. Skipper Ben Stokes lost out on what seemed like a significant toss and, though not at their best, the English attack kept toiling in 35c conditions. By the close of play, the Australians were 326-8 off 83 overs – a total on the board but surely below their expectations when captain Pat Cummins won the toss first thing.

The Pace of Archer Leads England's Effort.

The standout among the tourists was Jofra Archer. Returning figures of three for 29 from his 16 overs constituted a strong answer against the criticism that came this past week. Here he clearly spearheaded the attack, clocking 88mph (142kph) with the speedometer while providing Stokes a combination of accuracy and obvious threat. Only at the end of the day – one over with the fresh cherry – that he appeared somewhat weary.

After dismissed opener Jake Weatherald first thing, Archer's first over post-lunch accounted for Marnus Labuschagne followed by Cameron Green within just three balls. The all-rounder's duck was a reminder of how cricket can bring a player back down to earth, coming from weak chip shot to mid-wicket occurring less than 24 hours after securing a record multi-million dollar contract for the upcoming IPL.

Carey's Invaluable Innings Rescues The Innings.

Alex Carey's performance, in contrast, was simply priceless, peaking around late afternoon as he elegantly drove Ben Stokes through the covers for three runs and the crowd to rise with a roar. Coming off that masterful outing with the gloves at the Gabba, the left-hander's aggressive 106 runs off 143 balls made sure that a post-lunch wobble of 94 for four did not become a full-blown collapse. The 34-year-old is a genuinely Test match player these days.

Australia undoubtedly left a few potential runs on the field, though. Absent was the pronounced bounce from the first two Tests replaced by just a hint of seam movement if the right area was located.

The pitch also offered some grip to Will Jacks, even if his control was typical of a part-time spinner – resulting in expensive figures of 2/105 from 20 overs – and the balls that did to misbehave will give hope to Australia's own spinner, Nathan Lyon.

Solemn Backdrop with Late Switch.

The day's play was always going to be a poignant occasion for Australia, coming so shortly after the horrific tragic incident in Bondi. A minute's silence observed before the start of play was immaculately held, broken only by musician John Williams delivering an emotional rendition of the anthem 'True Blue'.

By this stage, the hosts had also been compelled to make an alteration to their announced starting eleven. Veteran batsman Steve Smith was withdrawn due to feeling dizzy along with nausea first thing – an apparent recurrence 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.

In came Usman Khawaja, a day after it was speculated his international career may be finished. Before Carey's heroics, the left-hander had held the Australian innings together, walking out with the score on 33/2 before finessing 82 off 126 deliveries just a day from his 39th birthday. Partnerships worth 61 runs with Labuschagne plus another of 91 runs with Alex Carey proved crucial.

The Tourist's Frustration Continues.

Archer aside, and despite the sapping conditions, this was yet another frustrating outing for the English bowling attack. Brydon Carse rather continued his form from the first two Tests, finishing with two for 70 from 13 overs, while the recalled Josh Tongue picked up one for 63 from 15 overs.

The Durham bowler was erratic when tasked with sharing the duty of the new ball first thing, overstepping on five occasions yet removing Travis Head for 10 thanks to a sublime one-handed catch from Zak Crawley at cover. This moment summed up the day's play for both teams: moments of brilliance interspersed with periods of sloppy cricket.