Australia's Alex Carey's Sparkling Hundred Assists The Hosts Bounce Back After A Swift England Test Series Assault.

Following that frenzy of the Perth Test as well as Brisbane's pink-ball spectacle, an outbreak of traditional style regarding the longest format broke out at the Adelaide ground. For the South Australian fans, it was one to savour, with homegrown talent Alex Carey delivered a sparkling hundred at his home turf as Australia the home side just shade the opening day.

Not that England, trailing 2-0 while clinging on in the series, were too disheartened. Ben Stokes had lost what appeared a crucial coin toss and, despite being far from at their best, the English attack continued plugging away in 35c heat. At stumps, Australia were 326 for eight from 83 overs bowled – runs on the board but surely below their expectations after Pat Cummins won the toss first thing.

Jofra Archer Leads England's Resistance.

The most impressive performer for the tourists proved to be Jofra Archer. Returning figures of 3/29 from his 16 overs were a powerful response to the criticism that came his way. Here he visibly spearheaded the attack, averaging 88mph (142kph) on the speed gun while providing his captain a combination of control and obvious menace. Only at the end of the day – one over with the fresh cherry – did he look somewhat jaded.

After dismissed opener Jake Weatherald early on, the fast bowler's initial over post-lunch wiped out Marnus Labuschagne followed by Cameron Green within just three balls. The all-rounder's golden duck served as a reminder of how cricket can bring a player back to reality, his tepid chip shot to mid-wicket occurring less than a day after securing a massive £1.5m deal in the Indian Premier League.

Carey's Invaluable Innings Steadies The Ship.

Carey's performance, however, was nothing short of priceless, peaking around 4.48pm when he elegantly drove Stokes through the covers for three runs and the Adelaide faithful rose in a huge roar. Fresh from that virtuoso outing with the gloves in Brisbane, his aggressive 106 off 143 deliveries ensured that the post-lunch wobble to 94/4 did not become a full-blown crisis. The 34-year-old is a genuinely cricketer nowadays.

Australia undoubtedly left some potential runs on the field, though. Absent was the excessive pace and bounce from the opening matches and in its place just a hint of nibble when a good length was located.

The pitch also offered a bit of grip for Will Jacks, although his consistency was typical of a part-timer – resulting in figures of two for 105 from his 20 overs – and the balls he did get to misbehave will give hope to Nathan Lyon.

Solemn Backdrop with Late Team Change.

This was inevitably an emotional occasion for the host nation, arriving so shortly after the horrific tragic incident in Bondi. The minute’s silence observed before the first ball was perfectly observed, followed by musician a rendition delivering an emotional version of 'True Blue'.

Earlier, the hosts were also compelled to make a change from their announced starting eleven. Steve Smith was withdrawn after reporting feeling dizzy along with sickness in the morning – seemingly recurrence of a vertigo issue which has intermittently troubled the star batter ever since being felled by Archer at Lord’s years back.

In came Usman Khawaja, just 24 hours after many felt his international career could be over. Before Carey's arrival, the left-hander had expertly held the innings together, walking out with the score on 33/2 and finessing 82 off 126 balls just a day before his 39th birthday. Stands worth 61 runs with Marnus Labuschagne and 91 runs with Alex Carey proved crucial.

England's Frustration Continues.

Archer aside, and notwithstanding the sapping heat, this was yet another disappointing outing from the English bowling attack. Brydon Carse rather continued his inconsistent form of the series, finishing with two for 70 from 13 overs, and the incoming Josh Tongue picked up 1/63 from 15 overs.

The Durham bowler looked erratic when tasked with sharing the duty of the new ball first thing, overstepping on five occasions but still dismissing Travis Head for 10 thanks to a spectacular one-handed catch by Zak Crawley at cover. It rather summed up the day for both teams: brilliance mixed with periods of error-prone cricket.