Australia's Alex Carey's Stunning Ton Assists The Hosts Recover After A Swift English Test Series Assault.

After the frenzy of the Perth Test as well as the Gabba's pink-ball palooza, an outbreak of familiar brand of Test cricket broke out on the turf of the Adelaide ground. For the locals, it was one to enjoy, with homegrown talent Alex Carey notched up a sparkling century on his home turf to help the home side just shade the opening day.

Not that The touring English side, trailing 2-0 while still fighting in this contest, could be entirely disappointed. Ben Stokes had lost what seemed like a crucial toss and, though not at their best, the English attack continued plugging away in scorching conditions. At stumps, Australia had reached 326-8 off 83 overs bowled – runs on the board yet likely below their ambitions after Pat Cummins won the choice first thing.

The Pace of Archer Leads The Tourist's Fightback.

The standout among the tourists proved to be speedster Jofra Archer. Returning figures of three for 29 from his 16 overs were a strong answer to the scrutiny that came his way. Here he clearly led the attack, averaging around 88mph (142kmh) on the speedometer and offering Stokes both control and clear threat. Only at the very end of play – during a single over with the second new ball – did he look somewhat jaded.

After bounced out Jake Weatherald early on, Archer's first over post-lunch accounted for Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green in the space of three balls. The all-rounder's golden duck was a reminder of how cricket can bring a player back down to earth, his tepid chip to mid-wicket arriving less than a day after securing a massive £1.5m contract for the upcoming Indian Premier League.

The Keeper's Priceless Innings Steadies The Innings.

Alex Carey's performance, in contrast, was nothing short of invaluable, culminating at 4.48pm as he drove Ben Stokes through the covers for three runs and the crowd rose with a roar. Fresh from that masterful outing with the gloves in Brisbane, the left-hander's aggressive 106 runs from 143 deliveries ensured that a mid-innings stumble of 94/4 failed to develop into a full-blown collapse. The 34-year-old is a genuinely cricketer nowadays.

Australia did leave some runs on the field, though. Absent was the excessive bounce from the first two Tests and in its place only a fraction of nibble when a good length was located.

The pitch also offered a bit of turn to off-spinner Will Jacks, even if his consistency was typical of a part-time spinner – hence figures of two for 105 from 20 overs – and the balls that did to turn sharply will encourage Australia's own spinner, Nathan Lyon.

Emotional Backdrop and Late Team Change.

This was inevitably an emotional occasion for the host nation, coming so soon in the wake of the horrific tragic incident at Bondi. A minute's silence prior to the first ball was perfectly observed, broken only by folk singer John Williams performing an emotional rendition of the anthem 'True Blue'.

By this stage, Australia had also been forced into a change to their stated XI. Steve Smith was withdrawn after reporting dizziness along with sickness in the morning – an apparent return of the vertigo that has periodically affected the star batter ever since being felled by a Jofra Archer bouncer at Lord’s six years ago.

His place was taken by Usman Khawaja, just 24 hours after it was speculated his Test career could be over. Until the wicketkeeper's heroics, Khawaja had held the Australian innings together, walking out with the score on 33/2 before crafting a fine 82 from 126 deliveries a day out from turning 39. Stands worth 61 runs with Labuschagne and 91 with Alex Carey proved significant.

The Tourist's Frustration Persists.

Archer aside, and notwithstanding the sapping heat, this was still another frustrating day from the English bowling attack. Seamer Brydon Carse somewhat continued his form of the series, finishing with two for 70 from 13 overs, and the recalled Josh Tongue claimed 1/63 in 15 overs.

Carse looked all over the shop when tasked with sharing the duty of the new ball first thing, overstepping on five occasions but still removing Travis Head for just 10 runs thanks to a sublime one-handed catch by Zak Crawley at cover. This moment encapsulated the day for both sides: moments of brilliance mixed with some sloppy cricket.