Alex Carey's Brilliant Ton Assists Australia Recover After Early England Test Series Assault.

In the wake of that frenzy of the Perth Test and Brisbane's day-night spectacle, an outbreak of traditional brand of red-ball cricket returned at Adelaide Oval. For the locals, it was a day to enjoy, as local hero Alex Carey notched up an outstanding century on his home venue as Australia the home side just shade the first day's play.

However, England, trailing 2-0 and clinging on in this contest, could be entirely disappointed. Ben Stokes lost out on what appeared a crucial coin toss and, despite being far from at their best, his bowlers continued toiling under 35c heat. At stumps, Australia had reached 326 for eight off 83 overs – a total on the board but surely short of initial expectations after Pat Cummins got the toss in the morning.

The Pace of Archer Leads The Tourist's Fightback.

The standout among England proved to be speedster Jofra Archer. Figures of 3/29 off 16 overs were a strong riposte against the criticism directed at him this past week. Here he clearly led the attack, averaging 88mph (142kmh) on the speedometer and offering his captain both control together with obvious menace. Only at the end of the day – during a single over with the second new ball – that he appeared somewhat weary.

Having bounced out Jake Weatherald early on, Archer's first over after lunch accounted for Marnus Labuschagne followed by Cameron Green in the space of three deliveries. The all-rounder's duck served as a stark reminder of how this sport can bring even a celebrated player back down to earth, his weak chip to the mid-wicket fielder occurring less than a day after securing a record multi-million dollar contract for the upcoming Indian Premier League.

The Keeper's Invaluable Contribution Steadies The Ship.

Alex Carey's performance, in contrast, was simply invaluable, culminating at 4.48pm when he elegantly drove Stokes through the covers for three runs which prompted the Adelaide faithful rose with a roar. Fresh from his virtuoso display behind the stumps in Brisbane, the left-hander's counterattacking 106 runs off 143 deliveries made sure that the post-lunch wobble to 94/4 did not become a complete collapse. At 34, Carey has become a genuinely Test match player nowadays.

The Australian batting lineup did leave some runs on the field, however. Gone was the excessive bounce of the first two Tests and in its place only a fraction of nibble when a good length was located.

There was also a bit of turn for Will Jacks, even if his control was typical of a part-timer – hence figures of two for 105 off his 20 overs – and the balls that did to turn sharply will give hope to Australia's own spinner, Nathan Lyon.

Emotional Context and Late Team Change.

This was always going to be a poignant occasion for the host nation, coming so shortly in the wake of the horrific tragic incident at Bondi. A minute's silence observed prior to the start of play was immaculately held, broken only by folk singer a rendition performing an emotional version of the anthem 'True Blue'.

Earlier, the hosts were also compelled to make a change from their stated XI. Steve Smith was withdrawn due to feeling dizzy and sickness first thing – seemingly return of a vertigo issue which has intermittently affected him since he was struck by Archer at Lord's six years ago.

His place was taken by Usman Khawaja, a day after many felt his Test career may be over. Until the wicketkeeper's heroics, Khawaja had expertly held the innings together, walking out with the score on 33 for two and finessing 82 from 126 deliveries just a day before his 39th birthday. Stands worth 61 runs with Marnus Labuschagne plus another of 91 with Alex Carey were significant.

England's Mixed Bag Continues.

Aside from Archer's efforts, and notwithstanding the sapping heat, it remained still another disappointing outing for the English bowling attack. Brydon Carse somewhat rolled over his form from the first two Tests, finishing with figures of 2/70 off his 13 overs, while the recalled Josh Tongue claimed one for 63 from 15 overs.

Carse looked erratic when tasked with sharing the new ball first thing, overstepping five times but still removing Travis Head for 10 thanks to a sublime one-handed catch from Zak Crawley in the covers. This moment summed up the day's play for both sides: brilliance interspersed with periods of sloppy cricket.