Australia's Alex Carey's Brilliant Ton Aids The Hosts Recover After A Swift England Test Series Assault.

After the pandemonium from the Perth Test and Brisbane's pink-ball spectacle, a more familiar style regarding the longest format broke out on the turf of Adelaide Oval. For the locals, it was a day to enjoy, with local hero the wicketkeeper-batsman delivered an outstanding century on his home ground as Australia Australia edge day one.

However, The touring English side, trailing 2-0 and clinging on in the contest, were entirely disappointed. Ben Stokes had lost what seemed like a crucial toss and, despite being far from at their best, the English attack continued plugging away under scorching conditions. By the close of play, the Australians had reached 326 for eight from 83 overs – a total on the board but surely below initial expectations when captain Pat Cummins won the toss first thing.

The Pace of Archer Stands Out For The Tourist's Resistance.

The most impressive performer for England proved to be speedster Jofra Archer. Returning figures of three for 29 from 16 overs constituted a powerful answer against some of criticism directed at him his way. On this day he clearly led the attack, averaging around 88mph (142kph) on the speedometer and offering his captain both control and clear threat. It was only towards the very end of the day – one over with the fresh cherry – did he look somewhat weary.

After dismissed opener Jake Weatherald early on, Archer's initial over post-lunch accounted for Marnus Labuschagne followed by Cameron Green in the space of three balls. Green's duck served as a reminder that cricket can bring a player back down to earth, coming from weak chip shot to the mid-wicket fielder arriving barely a day after trousering a record £1.5m deal in the IPL.

Carey's Priceless Contribution Rescues The Innings.

Alex Carey's performance, however, was simply priceless, culminating around 4.48pm as he elegantly drove Stokes through the covers for three which prompted the Adelaide faithful rose in a huge roar. Coming off his masterful outing with the gloves at the Gabba, the left-hander's aggressive 106 from 143 deliveries ensured that a post-lunch wobble of 94 for four failed to develop into a complete collapse. The 34-year-old is a genuinely cricketer these days.

The Australian batting lineup did leave some potential runs on the field, though. Absent was the excessive bounce of the first two Tests replaced by only a fraction of nibble when the right area was hit.

There was also some turn to Will Jacks, although his consistency was that of a part-time spinner – hence expensive figures of two for 105 from his 20 overs – but the deliveries he did get to turn sharply will give hope to Nathan Lyon.

Solemn Context and A Late Switch.

This was inevitably a poignant occasion for Australia, coming so soon after the horrific tragic incident at Bondi. A minute's silence observed prior to the first ball was immaculately held, broken only by musician a rendition delivering a stirring version of the anthem True Blue.

By this stage, Australia were also compelled to make an alteration to their stated starting eleven. Veteran batsman Steve Smith was withdrawn due to dizziness along with nausea in the morning – an apparent return of the vertigo that has intermittently troubled the star batter since he was struck by a Jofra Archer bouncer at Lord’s six years ago.

In came Usman Khawaja, just 24 hours after many felt his Test career could be finished. Until the wicketkeeper's arrival, Khawaja had expertly held the Australian innings steady, coming to the crease at 33/2 before finessing a fine 82 from 126 balls a day out from turning 39. Stands worth 61 runs with Marnus Labuschagne and 91 runs with Alex Carey were significant.

England's Mixed Bag Persists.

Archer aside, and despite the sapping heat, this was still another disappointing outing for the English bowling attack. Seamer Brydon Carse rather continued his form from the series, finishing with figures of 2/70 from his 13 overs, and the recalled Josh Tongue claimed one for 63 from 15 overs.

The Durham bowler was all over the shop when handed sharing the new cherry early on, no-balling five times but still removing Travis Head for 10 thanks to a spectacular catch from Zak Crawley in the covers. This moment encapsulated the day for both sides: brilliance mixed with some error-prone cricket.