Australia's Alex Carey's Stunning Century Helps Australia Recover After Early England Ashes Onslaught.

After that frenzy of Perth as well as Brisbane's pink-ball palooza, an outbreak of traditional style regarding red-ball cricket returned on the turf of Adelaide Oval. For the home crowd, it was one to enjoy, as their boy the wicketkeeper-batsman delivered an outstanding hundred at his home venue as Australia Australia edge the first day's play.

Not that The touring English side, 2-0 down and clinging on in this series, could be too disappointed. Ben Stokes had lost what seemed like a crucial coin toss and, despite being not perfect, the English attack kept persevering under 35c heat. At stumps, Australia were 326-8 from 83 overs bowled – runs on the board yet likely below initial expectations when Pat Cummins won the choice in the morning.

The Pace of Archer Leads The Tourist's Resistance.

The standout among the tourists proved to be speedster Jofra Archer. Returning figures of three for 29 off 16 overs constituted a powerful riposte against the scrutiny directed at him his way. Here he clearly spearheaded the attack, averaging 88mph (142kmh) on the speedometer and offering Stokes both accuracy together with obvious threat. Only at the end of the day – one over with the second new ball – that he appeared somewhat weary.

Having bounced out opener Jake Weatherald early on, Archer's first over after lunch wiped out Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green within just three balls. Green's duck was a stark reminder that this sport can swiftly bring a player back down to earth, coming from weak chip to mid-wicket arriving barely a day after securing a massive multi-million dollar deal for the upcoming Indian Premier League.

The Keeper's Invaluable Innings Rescues The Innings.

Alex Carey's day, however, was simply invaluable, culminating around late afternoon when he elegantly drove Ben Stokes through the covers for three runs which prompted the crowd to rise in a huge roar. Coming off that virtuoso outing with the gloves in Brisbane, the left-hander's counterattacking 106 runs from 143 balls made sure that the post-lunch wobble of 94/4 did not become a full-blown collapse. The 34-year-old is a genuinely Test match player nowadays.

Australia undoubtedly left a few potential runs out there, though. Gone was that excessive pace and bounce from the first two Tests replaced by only a fraction of seam movement when the right area was located.

The pitch also offered a bit of grip to off-spinner Will Jacks, even if his consistency was that of a part-time spinner – resulting in figures of two for 105 from 20 overs – and the balls that did to misbehave will encourage Nathan Lyon.

Solemn Context and Late Switch.

The day's play was inevitably an emotional occasion for the host nation, coming so shortly in the wake of a devastating tragic incident at Bondi. The minute’s silence before the first ball was immaculately held, followed by folk singer John Williams delivering an emotional version of the anthem True Blue.

By this stage, Australia had also been forced into a change from their stated starting eleven. Steve Smith pulled out due to dizziness and nausea first thing – an apparent recurrence of a vertigo issue which has intermittently troubled him since he was struck by Archer at Lord’s years back.

In came Usman Khawaja, just 24 hours after it was speculated his Test career may be finished. Before the wicketkeeper's heroics, the left-hander had held the Australian innings steady, walking out with the score on 33 for two before finessing 82 off 126 balls a day out before his 39th birthday. Stands worth 61 runs with Marnus Labuschagne plus another of 91 runs with Alex Carey proved significant.

England's Frustration Persists.

Aside from Archer's efforts, and notwithstanding the energy-sapping heat, this was yet another frustrating day from England’s attack. Brydon Carse somewhat rolled over his form from the series, picking up two for 70 from 13 overs, while the recalled Josh Tongue claimed one for 63 from 15 overs.

Carse looked erratic when handed sharing the duty of the new cherry first thing, no-balling on five occasions yet dismissing Travis Head for just 10 runs thanks to a sublime one-handed catch from Zak Crawley in the covers. This moment summed up the day's play for both teams: brilliance interspersed with some sloppy play.