Wicketkeeper Alex Carey's Brilliant Century Helps The Baggy Greens Recover From Early English Ashes Charge.

After the chaos of Perth and Brisbane's pink-ball palooza, an outbreak of familiar style of the longest format was witnessed on the turf of Adelaide Oval. For the delighted home crowd, it was one to savour, with local hero the wicketkeeper-batsman produced an outstanding century at his home venue to help the home side just shade the first day's play.

Not that The touring English side, 2-0 down and clinging on in the series, were too downbeat. Ben Stokes lost out on what seemed like a crucial coin toss and, despite being not perfect, his bowlers kept toiling under sweltering heat. At stumps, the Australians had reached 326 for eight from 83 overs bowled – a total on the board but surely below their expectations after Pat Cummins got the toss first thing.

The Pace of Archer Leads The Tourist's Fightback.

The standout among the tourists was Jofra Archer. Returning figures of 3/29 off his 16 overs were a strong answer to the criticism directed at him his way. On this day he visibly spearheaded the attack, averaging 88mph (142kmh) with the speedometer while providing Stokes both control together with clear threat. Only at the end of the day – during a single over using the fresh cherry – that he appeared a bit weary.

After bounced out Jake Weatherald early on, Archer's first over post-lunch wiped out Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green in the space of three balls. Green's golden duck was a reminder of how this sport can bring even a celebrated player back down to earth, his tepid chip shot to the mid-wicket fielder arriving barely a day after securing a massive £1.5m contract in the IPL.

The Keeper's Invaluable Contribution Rescues The Ship.

Alex Carey's performance, in contrast, was nothing short of priceless, peaking at late afternoon when he elegantly drove Stokes through the covers for three runs which prompted the Adelaide faithful to rise with a roar. Coming off that masterful outing behind the stumps at the Gabba, his counterattacking 106 off 143 deliveries made sure that the mid-innings stumble to 94 for four failed to develop into a full-blown collapse. The 34-year-old is a serious Test match player nowadays.

The Australian batting lineup did leave some runs on the field, however. Absent was that excessive pace and bounce of the first two Tests and in its place only a fraction of nibble if a good length was hit.

There was also some turn to Will Jacks, even if his control was that of a part-time spinner – hence expensive figures of two for 105 off 20 overs – and the balls he did get to turn sharply will encourage Nathan Lyon.

Emotional Context with A Late Team Change.

The day's play was inevitably an emotional day for the host nation, arriving so shortly after a devastating terrorist attack at Bondi. A minute's silence before the first ball was immaculately held, followed by folk singer John Williams delivering an emotional rendition of 'True Blue'.

Earlier, Australia were also compelled to make a change from their stated starting eleven. Veteran batsman Steve Smith pulled out after reporting feeling dizzy along with sickness in the morning – an apparent return of a vertigo issue which has intermittently troubled him since he was struck by a Jofra Archer bouncer at Lord’s years back.

His place was taken by Usman Khawaja, just 24 hours after many felt his international career could be finished. Until Carey's arrival, the left-hander had held the innings together, coming to the crease at 33/2 before crafting a fine 82 from 126 deliveries just a day before turning 39. Partnerships worth 61 runs with Labuschagne plus another of 91 runs with Alex Carey were significant.

England's Frustration Continues.

Aside from Archer's efforts, and despite the energy-sapping conditions, this was yet another frustrating day from the English bowling attack. Brydon Carse somewhat rolled over his form of the series, picking up two for 70 off his 13 overs, while the recalled Josh Tongue claimed 1/63 in 15 overs.

Carse was erratic when tasked with sharing the duty of the new ball early on, no-balling five times yet removing Travis Head for just 10 runs thanks to a spectacular one-handed catch by Zak Crawley at cover. This moment summed up the day's play for both teams: moments of brilliance interspersed with periods of sloppy cricket.