Alex Carey's Sparkling Ton Aids Australia Regroup After A Swift English Ashes Onslaught.

In the wake of that frenzy of the Perth Test and Brisbane's day-night spectacle, a more traditional brand of Test cricket returned on the turf of the Adelaide ground. For the home crowd, the day proved a day to cherish, with local hero Alex Carey notched up a magnificent century on his home ground to help the home side edge the first day's play.

Not that England, trailing 2-0 and still fighting in this contest, were entirely disappointed. Skipper Ben Stokes had lost what appeared a significant coin toss and, despite being far from at their best, the English attack kept plugging away under scorching heat. By the close of play, the Australians had reached 326-8 from 83 overs bowled – a total on the board but surely short of initial expectations when captain Pat Cummins won the toss in the morning.

Jofra Archer Leads England's Resistance.

The standout among England proved to be Jofra Archer. Returning figures of three for 29 from 16 overs constituted a powerful response to the scrutiny directed at him this past week. Here he clearly led the attack, averaging around 88mph (142kmh) on the speedometer and offering Stokes a combination of accuracy together with obvious menace. Only at the end of play – during a single over with the second new ball – did he look a bit weary.

After bounced out Jake Weatherald first thing, Archer's first over after lunch wiped out Marnus Labuschagne followed by Cameron Green in the space of three deliveries. The all-rounder's duck was a reminder that cricket can bring a player back to reality, coming from weak chip shot to the mid-wicket fielder occurring barely a day after trousering a massive £1.5m contract in the IPL.

Carey's Priceless Innings Steadies The Innings.

Alex Carey's day, however, was simply priceless, peaking around 4.48pm when he drove Stokes through the covers for three runs which prompted the Adelaide faithful rose in a huge roar. Fresh from that virtuoso display with the gloves in Brisbane, his aggressive 106 off 143 balls ensured that the mid-innings stumble of 94/4 failed to develop into a full-blown collapse. At 34, Carey has become a serious cricketer nowadays.

Australia did leave a few runs out there, though. Absent was that excessive pace and bounce of the opening matches replaced by only a fraction of seam movement if the right area was located.

The pitch also offered some turn to Will Jacks, although his control was that of a part-time spinner – resulting in figures of 2/105 from his 20 overs – but the deliveries that did to misbehave will encourage Australia's own spinner, Nathan Lyon.

Solemn Backdrop and Late Switch.

This was inevitably a poignant day for the host nation, arriving so shortly in the wake of a devastating terrorist attack in Bondi. The minute’s silence observed prior to the first ball was perfectly observed, broken only by folk singer John Williams delivering an emotional version of the anthem 'True Blue'.

By this stage, Australia were also compelled to make a change from their announced starting eleven. Steve Smith was withdrawn due to feeling dizzy along with sickness in the morning – seemingly recurrence of the vertigo which has periodically troubled him since being felled by Archer at Lord’s six years ago.

In came Usman Khawaja, just 24 hours after it was speculated his Test career may be finished. Until the wicketkeeper's heroics, Khawaja had expertly held the innings steady, walking out with the score on 33/2 and crafting 82 from 126 balls just a day before his 39th birthday. Stands of 61 with Marnus Labuschagne plus another of 91 runs with Carey proved crucial.

England's Mixed Bag Continues.

Archer aside, and notwithstanding the energy-sapping conditions, this was still another frustrating day from the English bowling attack. Seamer Brydon Carse rather rolled over his form from the first two Tests, picking up figures of 2/70 from 13 overs, and the incoming Josh Tongue claimed one for 63 in 15 overs.

The Durham bowler looked erratic when tasked with sharing the duty of the new ball early on, no-balling on five occasions yet dismissing Travis Head for just 10 runs courtesy of a spectacular one-handed catch by Zak Crawley in the covers. It rather summed up the day for both sides: brilliance interspersed with some sloppy cricket.