Australia's Alex Carey's Stunning Hundred Aids The Hosts Recover From A Swift England Test Series Onslaught.

After the chaos of the Perth Test and the Gabba's pink-ball spectacle, an outbreak of familiar brand regarding red-ball cricket returned on the turf of the Adelaide ground. For the delighted locals, the day proved a day to enjoy, with their boy Alex Carey delivered a sparkling hundred on his home venue to help Australia edge the first day's play.

However, The touring English side, trailing 2-0 and still fighting in the series, were entirely disheartened. Skipper Ben Stokes had lost what appeared a significant coin toss and, despite being not perfect, the English attack continued toiling in 35c conditions. At stumps, Australia had reached 326-8 off 83 overs – runs on the board but surely short of initial expectations after Pat Cummins got the toss first thing.

Jofra Archer Leads The Tourist's Fightback.

The standout for the tourists proved to be speedster Jofra Archer. Returning figures of three for 29 off 16 overs were a powerful riposte against the scrutiny directed at him this past week. On this day he visibly led the bowling unit, clocking around 88mph (142kmh) with the speed gun while providing Stokes both control together with obvious threat. It was only towards the end of play – during a single over using the fresh cherry – that he appeared a bit jaded.

After dismissed Jake Weatherald early on, the fast bowler's first over after lunch wiped out Marnus Labuschagne followed by Cameron Green in the space of three balls. Green's duck was a stark reminder of how cricket can bring even a celebrated player back down to earth, coming from tepid chip to mid-wicket occurring barely 24 hours following securing a record £1.5m contract in the Indian Premier League.

The Keeper's Invaluable Contribution Rescues The Ship.

Alex Carey's day, however, was simply invaluable, culminating around late afternoon when he drove Stokes through the covers for three runs which prompted the Adelaide faithful to rise in a huge roar. Fresh from that virtuoso display behind the stumps in Brisbane, the left-hander's counterattacking 106 from 143 deliveries made sure that a mid-innings stumble to 94/4 failed to develop into a complete collapse. At 34, Carey is a serious Test match player nowadays.

Australia did leave a few potential runs on the field, however. Absent was that excessive bounce from the first two Tests and in its place just a hint of seam movement if the right area was located.

The pitch also offered a bit of turn for off-spinner Will Jacks, although his control was that of a part-time spinner – hence expensive figures of two for 105 off 20 overs – and the balls that did to misbehave will encourage Nathan Lyon.

Emotional Backdrop with A Late Team Change.

The day's play was always going to be an emotional day for Australia, coming so soon in the wake of the horrific terrorist attack at Bondi. The minute’s silence prior to the start of play was immaculately held, followed by folk singer a rendition delivering a stirring rendition of the anthem 'True Blue'.

By this stage, the hosts were also compelled to make a change from their stated starting eleven. Steve Smith was withdrawn due to feeling dizzy and nausea in the morning – seemingly return of a vertigo issue that has intermittently affected him since being felled by a Jofra Archer bouncer at Lord’s years back.

In came Usman Khawaja, just 24 hours after many felt his Test career could be over. Before Carey's heroics, Khawaja had held the innings together, coming to the crease with the score on 33/2 before finessing 82 from 126 deliveries just a day before turning 39. Stands of 61 with Marnus Labuschagne and 91 runs with Carey proved significant.

The Tourist's Mixed Bag Persists.

Archer aside, and notwithstanding the sapping heat, this was still another frustrating day from England’s attack. Seamer Brydon Carse somewhat rolled over his form from the first two Tests, finishing with figures of 2/70 from his 13 overs, while the incoming Josh Tongue picked up one for 63 from 15 overs.

The Durham bowler looked erratic when tasked with sharing the duty of the new cherry early on, overstepping five times but still dismissing Travis Head for just 10 runs thanks to a spectacular one-handed catch from Zak Crawley in the covers. This moment encapsulated the day's play for both teams: moments of brilliance mixed with periods of error-prone cricket.