Wicketkeeper Alex Carey's Brilliant Century Helps The Hosts Recover From Early England Ashes Assault.

Following the frenzy from the Perth Test and the Gabba's day-night palooza, a more traditional style regarding Test cricket returned on the turf of Adelaide Oval. For the home crowd, it was a day to enjoy, as homegrown talent Alex Carey notched up a magnificent hundred at his home turf to help Australia edge day one.

Not that The touring English side, trailing 2-0 while still fighting in this series, could be too downbeat. Skipper Ben Stokes had lost what seemed like a crucial coin toss and, though far from perfect, his bowlers continued persevering in 35c conditions. At stumps, Australia were 326 for eight off 83 overs bowled – a total on the board yet likely short of initial expectations after Pat Cummins got the choice first thing.

Jofra Archer Stands Out For The Tourist's Effort.

The standout for England proved to be speedster Jofra Archer. Returning figures of three for 29 from his 16 overs were a strong response against some of scrutiny that came this past week. Here he clearly led the bowling unit, averaging 88mph (142kph) with the speedometer while providing his captain a combination of control together with obvious threat. It was only towards the very end of the day – one over using the second new ball – that he appeared a bit weary.

Having bounced out Jake Weatherald early on, Archer's first over after lunch wiped out Marnus Labuschagne followed by Cameron Green in the space of three deliveries. The all-rounder's golden duck was a stark reminder of how cricket can bring a player back to reality, coming from weak chip shot to the mid-wicket fielder arriving barely a day after trousering a record multi-million dollar deal in the IPL.

The Keeper's Invaluable Innings Rescues The Innings.

Alex Carey's day, in contrast, was simply invaluable, peaking at 4.48pm as he elegantly drove Ben Stokes through cover for three and the crowd to rise in a huge roar. Coming off his masterful outing with the gloves in Brisbane, his aggressive 106 off 143 deliveries made sure that the post-lunch wobble to 94 for four failed to develop into a complete collapse. The 34-year-old has become a serious cricketer nowadays.

The Australian batting lineup did leave a few potential runs out there, though. Gone was that excessive pace and bounce of the opening matches and in its place only a fraction of seam movement when a good length was hit.

The pitch also offered some turn for off-spinner Will Jacks, even if his consistency was that of a part-time spinner – resulting in expensive figures of 2/105 from his 20 overs – and the balls he did get to turn sharply will encourage Australia's own spinner, Nathan Lyon.

Solemn Context and A Late Team Change.

The day's play was always going to be an emotional occasion for the host nation, arriving so soon in the wake of a devastating tragic incident in Bondi. A minute's silence before the start of play was immaculately held, followed by musician a rendition performing an emotional rendition of 'True Blue'.

Earlier, Australia had also been compelled to make a change to their announced starting eleven. Veteran batsman Steve Smith pulled out due to dizziness along with sickness in the morning – an apparent recurrence of the vertigo which has periodically affected him since he was struck 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 the wicketkeeper's arrival, Khawaja had held the innings together, coming to the crease with the score on 33 for two before finessing 82 off 126 balls just a day before his 39th birthday. Partnerships worth 61 runs with Labuschagne and 91 with Alex Carey were significant.

The Tourist's Mixed Bag Continues.

Archer aside, and despite the sapping conditions, this was still another frustrating outing for the English bowling attack. Seamer Brydon Carse somewhat rolled over his inconsistent form of the first two Tests, finishing with figures of 2/70 off his 13 overs, while the incoming Josh Tongue picked up one for 63 in 15 overs.

The Durham bowler was erratic when handed sharing the duty of the new ball early on, no-balling five times yet removing Travis Head for 10 courtesy of a sublime catch from Zak Crawley at cover. It rather encapsulated the day's play for both sides: brilliance interspersed with periods of error-prone cricket.