Australia's Alex Carey's Brilliant Ton Aids The Baggy Greens Bounce Back From A Swift English Test Series Onslaught.

In the wake of the pandemonium from the Perth Test as well as Brisbane's day-night spectacle, an outbreak of familiar brand of red-ball cricket was witnessed on the turf of the Adelaide ground. For the locals, the day proved a day to cherish, as homegrown talent the wicketkeeper-batsman delivered a magnificent hundred at his home ground as Australia the home side just shade the first day's play.

Not that The touring English side, 2-0 down and clinging on in the series, were too disheartened. Ben Stokes lost out on what appeared a significant coin toss and, though far from perfect, his bowlers continued persevering in sweltering heat. At stumps, the Australians were 326-8 from 83 overs – runs on the board yet likely below initial expectations after Pat Cummins got the toss in the morning.

The Pace of Archer Leads England's Resistance.

The most impressive performer among England proved to be Jofra Archer. Returning figures of three for 29 off his 16 overs were a powerful answer against the criticism directed at him this past week. Here he clearly spearheaded the bowling unit, averaging around 88mph (142kmh) on the speed gun and offering Stokes both control together with obvious menace. Only at the end of the day – one over with the fresh cherry – that he appeared a bit weary.

Having bounced out Jake Weatherald early on, the fast bowler's first over after lunch accounted for Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green within just three balls. Green's golden duck served as a reminder that this sport can bring a player back to reality, his tepid chip to mid-wicket occurring barely a day after securing a massive £1.5m contract in the Indian Premier League.

Carey's Priceless Contribution Steadies The Ship.

Carey's performance, in contrast, was nothing short of priceless, peaking at 4.48pm as he drove Stokes through cover for three runs which prompted the Adelaide faithful rose with a roar. Coming off his virtuoso outing behind the stumps in Brisbane, the left-hander's counterattacking 106 runs from 143 balls ensured that a mid-innings stumble to 94/4 failed to develop into a full-blown collapse. At 34, Carey is a genuinely Test match player these days.

The Australian batting lineup undoubtedly left some potential runs on the field, however. Gone was the excessive bounce from the opening matches replaced by just a hint of seam movement if the right area was hit.

The pitch also offered a bit of grip to off-spinner Will Jacks, although his consistency was typical of a part-time spinner – resulting in expensive figures of two for 105 from his 20 overs – but the deliveries that did to misbehave will give hope to Australia's own spinner, Nathan Lyon.

Solemn Context and Late Switch.

This was always going to be a poignant day for the host nation, coming so soon after a devastating terrorist attack at Bondi. A minute's silence prior to the first ball was immaculately held, broken only by musician John Williams performing a stirring version of 'True Blue'.

Earlier, the hosts were also compelled to make an alteration from their announced starting eleven. Steve Smith was withdrawn due to feeling dizzy along with nausea in the morning – an apparent recurrence of the vertigo which has intermittently affected him ever since he was struck by a Jofra Archer bouncer at Lord's years back.

His place was taken by Usman Khawaja, just 24 hours after many felt his international career may be finished. Until Carey's heroics, Khawaja had held the Australian innings together, coming to the crease at 33/2 before finessing a fine 82 from 126 balls just a day before his 39th birthday. Stands worth 61 runs with Marnus Labuschagne plus another of 91 runs with Carey proved crucial.

The Tourist's Mixed Bag Continues.

Aside from Archer's efforts, and despite the energy-sapping heat, this was still another frustrating outing from the English bowling attack. Brydon Carse rather continued his inconsistent form of the series, picking up two for 70 off his 13 overs, while the incoming Josh Tongue picked up 1/63 from 15 overs.

The Durham bowler looked erratic when handed sharing the duty of the new cherry first thing, overstepping on five occasions but still dismissing Travis Head for 10 courtesy of a sublime catch by Zak Crawley in the covers. It rather summed up the day for both sides: brilliance mixed with periods of sloppy play.