Alex Carey's Stunning Century Helps The Baggy Greens Recover After An Early England Ashes Charge.

After that chaos from the Perth Test as well as the Gabba's day-night palooza, a more traditional style of the longest format was witnessed on the turf of the Adelaide ground. For the home crowd, the day proved a day to cherish, with their boy the wicketkeeper-batsman notched up an outstanding hundred on his home turf as Australia the home side just shade the opening day.

Not that The touring English side, trailing 2-0 and still fighting in the contest, could be entirely disappointed. Skipper Ben Stokes lost out on what seemed like a crucial coin toss and, though not at their best, the English attack continued toiling in scorching conditions. By the close of play, Australia were 326 for eight off 83 overs bowled – runs on the board but surely short of initial expectations after Pat Cummins won the choice first thing.

Jofra Archer Leads England's Fightback.

The most impressive performer for the tourists proved to be Jofra Archer. Figures of 3/29 from his 16 overs were a strong answer against some of scrutiny that came his way. Here he clearly spearheaded the attack, averaging around 88mph (142kmh) on the speedometer while providing Stokes both control together with obvious menace. It was only towards the very end of the day – during a single over with the fresh cherry – that he appeared somewhat weary.

Having dismissed Jake Weatherald first thing, the fast bowler's first over after lunch accounted for 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 down to earth, coming from weak chip shot to the mid-wicket fielder arriving barely a day after trousering a massive multi-million dollar contract for the upcoming Indian Premier League.

Carey's Invaluable Innings Steadies The Ship.

Carey's day, in contrast, was nothing short of invaluable, culminating at late afternoon as he elegantly drove Stokes through cover for three runs which prompted the crowd to rise with a roar. Coming off his masterful outing behind the stumps at the Gabba, the left-hander's aggressive 106 from 143 balls ensured that a mid-innings stumble of 94 for four failed to develop into a full-blown collapse. At 34, Carey has become a genuinely Test match player nowadays.

The Australian batting lineup did leave some potential runs on the field, however. Absent was that pronounced bounce from the first two Tests replaced by only a fraction of seam movement when a good length was hit.

The pitch also offered a bit of turn for off-spinner Will Jacks, although his control was that of a part-timer – resulting in figures of 2/105 off his 20 overs – and the balls he did get to misbehave will give hope to Australia's own spinner, Nathan Lyon.

Emotional Context and A Late Team Change.

This was inevitably an emotional occasion for Australia, coming so soon in the wake of a devastating tragic incident in Bondi. A minute's silence observed prior to the start of play was immaculately observed, followed by musician John Williams performing a stirring rendition of the anthem True Blue.

Earlier, Australia were also compelled to make an alteration to their stated XI. Steve Smith was withdrawn due to dizziness and nausea first thing – an apparent recurrence of a vertigo issue that has intermittently troubled the star batter since being felled by a Jofra Archer bouncer at Lord’s six years ago.

His place was taken by Usman Khawaja, a day after many felt his international career could be finished. Until the wicketkeeper's heroics, Khawaja had expertly held the Australian innings together, walking out with the score on 33 for two before crafting a fine 82 from 126 deliveries a day out before turning 39. Partnerships of 61 with Labuschagne and 91 runs with Alex Carey were crucial.

The Tourist's Frustration Continues.

Archer aside, and despite the energy-sapping conditions, this was yet another frustrating day for England’s attack. Brydon Carse rather continued his form of the series, picking up figures of 2/70 from 13 overs, while the recalled Josh Tongue picked up 1/63 in 15 overs.

The Durham bowler looked erratic when tasked with sharing the new cherry first thing, no-balling on five occasions yet removing Travis Head for 10 thanks to a sublime one-handed catch by Zak Crawley in the covers. This moment encapsulated the day's play for both sides: moments of brilliance interspersed with periods of error-prone cricket.