Australia's Alex Carey's Stunning Ton Helps Australia Recover From Early English Test Series Assault.

In the wake of that chaos from Perth and Brisbane's day-night palooza, a more traditional brand of the longest format returned on the turf of the Adelaide ground. For the home crowd, the day proved one to enjoy, as local hero the wicketkeeper-batsman notched up a sparkling century on his home turf as Australia the home side just shade the opening day.

Not that The touring English side, 2-0 down and clinging on in the series, were too disappointed. Ben Stokes lost out on what appeared a crucial coin toss and, though far from perfect, his bowlers kept plugging away in sweltering conditions. At stumps, the Australians had reached 326-8 off 83 overs bowled – a total on the board yet likely short of initial ambitions after Pat Cummins won the choice in the morning.

The Pace of Archer Stands Out For England's Effort.

The standout for the tourists was speedster Jofra Archer. Returning figures of 3/29 from his 16 overs constituted a strong response against the scrutiny directed at him his way. Here he visibly spearheaded the attack, clocking around 88mph (142kph) on the speed gun while providing Stokes a combination of control together with clear threat. It was only towards the very end of play – during a single over with the fresh cherry – did he look somewhat weary.

Having bounced out opener Jake Weatherald first thing, Archer's first over after lunch wiped out Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green in the space of three deliveries. Green's golden duck served as a stark reminder that this sport can swiftly bring a player back down to earth, coming from tepid chip shot to mid-wicket arriving barely a day following trousering a record £1.5m deal in the IPL.

Carey's Invaluable Contribution Steadies The Ship.

Carey's day, in contrast, was nothing short of priceless, culminating around late afternoon as he elegantly drove Stokes through cover for three and the Adelaide faithful rose in a huge roar. Fresh from that virtuoso display with the gloves at the Gabba, the left-hander's counterattacking 106 runs off 143 balls ensured that the post-lunch wobble to 94 for four failed to develop into a full-blown crisis. At 34, Carey has become a serious cricketer nowadays.

Australia did leave a few potential runs on the field, however. Gone was that excessive pace and bounce of the opening matches replaced by only a fraction of seam movement if the right area was hit.

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

Emotional Context with Late Switch.

The day's play was inevitably a poignant day for Australia, arriving so shortly in the wake of the horrific terrorist attack at Bondi. The minute’s silence observed before the start of play was perfectly held, broken only by musician John Williams performing a stirring version of the anthem True Blue.

By this stage, Australia had also been forced into an alteration to their stated XI. Steve Smith pulled out due to feeling dizzy along with nausea in the morning – an apparent recurrence of a vertigo issue which has intermittently troubled the star batter ever since he was struck 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 finished. Before the wicketkeeper's arrival, the left-hander had expertly held the innings steady, coming to the crease at 33 for two before finessing 82 from 126 balls just a day from his 39th birthday. Stands of 61 with Labuschagne and 91 with Alex Carey were significant.

The Tourist's Frustration Continues.

Aside from Archer's efforts, and despite the energy-sapping heat, it remained yet another disappointing outing for the English bowling attack. Seamer Brydon Carse rather rolled over his inconsistent form from the series, finishing with two for 70 from his 13 overs, and the recalled Josh Tongue claimed 1/63 from 15 overs.

Carse looked erratic when handed sharing the new cherry early on, overstepping five times yet removing Travis Head for 10 courtesy of a sublime one-handed catch from Zak Crawley in the covers. This moment encapsulated the day for both teams: brilliance mixed with some sloppy play.