Australia's Alex Carey's Sparkling Century Helps Australia Bounce Back From An Early England Test Series Assault.

After the frenzy of Perth as well as the Gabba's pink-ball spectacle, an outbreak of familiar brand of the longest format was witnessed at the Adelaide ground. For the home crowd, it was a day to savour, with homegrown talent Alex Carey delivered a sparkling century on his home ground to help Australia edge the opening day.

Not that England, trailing 2-0 while clinging on in this series, could be entirely downbeat. Skipper Ben Stokes had lost what seemed like an ominous toss and, despite being not perfect, the English attack continued toiling in scorching heat. By the close of play, the Australians were 326 for eight off 83 overs bowled – runs on the board but surely below initial expectations after Pat Cummins got the choice in the morning.

Jofra Archer Leads The Tourist's Resistance.

The standout among England proved to be speedster Jofra Archer. Figures of three for 29 off his 16 overs were a strong riposte against the scrutiny directed at him this past week. Here he clearly led the bowling unit, clocking around 88mph (142kmh) with the speed gun and offering Stokes a combination of accuracy and obvious threat. It was only towards the very end of the day – one over with the fresh cherry – did he look somewhat jaded.

Having dismissed opener Jake Weatherald first thing, the fast bowler's first over post-lunch accounted for Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green in the space of three balls. The all-rounder's duck was a reminder of how this sport can swiftly bring a player back to reality, his weak chip to mid-wicket arriving barely 24 hours after trousering a record £1.5m deal in the IPL.

Carey's Priceless Innings Rescues The Ship.

Carey's performance, in contrast, was simply priceless, culminating around late afternoon as he elegantly drove Stokes through the covers for three runs and the crowd to rise in a huge roar. Fresh from his virtuoso display behind the stumps at the Gabba, his aggressive 106 runs from 143 balls ensured that a post-lunch wobble to 94/4 failed to develop into a full-blown crisis. The 34-year-old is a genuinely cricketer these days.

The Australian batting lineup undoubtedly left some runs out there, however. Absent was the pronounced pace and bounce from the first two Tests and in its place just a hint of nibble if a good length was located.

The pitch also offered a bit of turn to off-spinner Will Jacks, even if his consistency was typical of a part-time spinner – resulting in figures of two for 105 off his 20 overs – but the deliveries he did get to misbehave will encourage Nathan Lyon.

Solemn Backdrop and A Late Switch.

This was always going to be a poignant day for Australia, arriving so shortly after a devastating tragic incident at Bondi. The minute’s silence before the start of play was immaculately held, broken only by folk singer a rendition delivering an emotional rendition of True Blue.

By this stage, the hosts had also been forced into an alteration to their stated XI. Steve Smith pulled out after reporting feeling dizzy along with nausea in the morning – an apparent recurrence of the vertigo which has periodically affected him ever since being felled by Archer at Lord’s years back.

His place was taken by Usman Khawaja, just 24 hours after many felt his international career could be over. Before Carey's arrival, the left-hander had held the innings together, coming to the crease with the score on 33 for two before crafting a fine 82 off 126 balls a day out before his 39th birthday. Partnerships of 61 with Labuschagne plus another of 91 with Alex Carey were crucial.

The Tourist's Mixed Bag Persists.

Aside from Archer's efforts, and despite the energy-sapping heat, it remained still another frustrating day for England’s attack. Seamer Brydon Carse somewhat continued his form of the first two Tests, finishing with two for 70 off 13 overs, while the recalled Josh Tongue picked up 1/63 in 15 overs.

Carse looked erratic when handed sharing the new cherry early on, overstepping on five occasions yet dismissing Travis Head for just 10 runs courtesy of a spectacular one-handed catch by Zak Crawley in the covers. It rather encapsulated the day for both sides: brilliance interspersed with periods of sloppy cricket.