Australia's Alex Carey's Sparkling Century Helps The Hosts Bounce Back From A Swift England Ashes Onslaught.

Following the chaos from the Perth Test and the Gabba's day-night spectacle, an outbreak of familiar style of red-ball cricket broke out on the turf of the Adelaide ground. For the delighted home crowd, it was one to cherish, as local hero the wicketkeeper-batsman notched up a sparkling hundred on his home venue as Australia the home side edge the opening day.

Not that The touring English side, trailing 2-0 and still fighting in the contest, were too disheartened. Skipper Ben Stokes had lost what appeared a significant coin toss and, despite being far from perfect, the English attack kept toiling under scorching heat. By the close of play, Australia had reached 326 for eight from 83 overs bowled – a total on the board but surely short of initial expectations when Pat Cummins won the toss in the morning.

Jofra Archer Stands Out For The Tourist's Resistance.

The standout among the tourists was speedster Jofra Archer. Returning figures of three for 29 off his 16 overs constituted a powerful riposte to some of criticism directed at him his way. On this day he clearly led the attack, clocking 88mph (142kph) with the speed gun while providing Stokes both control and obvious threat. Only at the very end of the day – during a single over using the second new ball – that he appeared a bit jaded.

Having bounced out opener Jake Weatherald first thing, Archer's initial over after lunch wiped out Marnus Labuschagne followed by Cameron Green within just three balls. Green's golden duck served as a reminder that this sport can bring a player back down to earth, his tepid chip shot to the mid-wicket fielder arriving less than a day following securing a record £1.5m contract for the upcoming Indian Premier League.

The Keeper's Priceless Contribution Steadies The Ship.

Alex Carey's day, in contrast, was nothing short of priceless, culminating at late afternoon as he elegantly drove Stokes through cover for three and the Adelaide faithful rose in a huge roar. Fresh from that virtuoso outing behind the stumps in Brisbane, the left-hander's aggressive 106 off 143 deliveries made sure that a mid-innings stumble of 94/4 did not become a complete collapse. The 34-year-old is a genuinely cricketer nowadays.

The Australian batting lineup undoubtedly left some runs on the field, however. Absent was the pronounced pace and bounce from the opening matches replaced by just a hint of nibble when the right area was located.

The pitch also offered some grip to off-spinner Will Jacks, even if his control was that of a part-time spinner – resulting in expensive figures of two for 105 off 20 overs – and the balls that did to turn sharply will give hope to Nathan Lyon.

Emotional Context and Late Team Change.

The day's play was inevitably an emotional day for the host nation, coming so shortly after the horrific terrorist attack in Bondi. A minute's silence prior to the start of play was immaculately observed, followed by musician a rendition delivering an emotional rendition of the anthem True Blue.

By this stage, Australia had also been compelled to make a change from their stated starting eleven. Steve Smith pulled out due to feeling dizzy and sickness first thing – seemingly recurrence of the vertigo which has periodically affected the star batter ever 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 finished. Until Carey's heroics, Khawaja had held the Australian innings steady, coming to the crease with the score on 33 for two before finessing 82 off 126 balls just a day before turning 39. Stands worth 61 runs with Labuschagne and 91 with Carey were crucial.

England's Mixed Bag Continues.

Aside from Archer's efforts, and despite the energy-sapping heat, it remained yet another frustrating outing from the English bowling attack. Seamer Brydon Carse somewhat continued his form of the series, picking up figures of 2/70 off his 13 overs, while the incoming Josh Tongue picked up one for 63 from 15 overs.

Carse was erratic when tasked with sharing the duty of the new ball early on, no-balling on five occasions yet removing Travis Head for 10 courtesy of a spectacular catch from Zak Crawley at cover. It rather summed up the day's play for both sides: brilliance mixed with some sloppy cricket.