Australia's Alex Carey's Stunning Century Helps The Baggy Greens Recover After Early England Test Series Assault.

In the wake of that chaos from Perth as well as Brisbane's pink-ball spectacle, a more familiar style of the longest format returned on the turf of the Adelaide ground. For the locals, the day proved one to savour, as local hero the wicketkeeper-batsman delivered a magnificent hundred on his home ground to help Australia just shade the opening day.

Not that The touring English side, trailing 2-0 while clinging on in the contest, were entirely downbeat. Skipper Ben Stokes lost out on what seemed like a crucial coin toss and, despite being far from perfect, the English attack continued persevering in 35c heat. At stumps, Australia were 326-8 off 83 overs – a total on the board yet likely short of their expectations when Pat Cummins won the choice first thing.

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

The standout for England was Jofra Archer. Figures of three for 29 from 16 overs were a strong riposte to some of criticism that came his way. On this day he visibly spearheaded the attack, averaging around 88mph (142kmh) on the speedometer and offering his captain both control and clear menace. Only at the end of the day – one over with the second new ball – did he look somewhat jaded.

Having bounced out opener Jake Weatherald early on, Archer's initial over after lunch accounted for Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green in the space of three balls. Green's duck served as a stark reminder that cricket can bring even a celebrated player back to reality, coming from weak chip shot to the mid-wicket fielder occurring barely a day following securing a massive multi-million dollar contract for the upcoming Indian Premier League.

Carey's Priceless Innings Steadies The Ship.

Alex Carey's day, in contrast, was simply invaluable, peaking around late afternoon when he elegantly drove Ben Stokes through the covers for three runs which prompted the crowd to rise with a roar. Coming off that masterful display with the gloves in Brisbane, the left-hander's counterattacking 106 off 143 balls made sure that the post-lunch wobble to 94 for four failed to develop into a complete collapse. The 34-year-old has become a serious cricketer these days.

Australia undoubtedly left some runs out there, though. Gone was the excessive pace and bounce from the first two Tests and in its place only a fraction of nibble when the right area was located.

There was also some turn for Will Jacks, although his control was that of a part-timer – hence figures of two for 105 from 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 Switch.

This was inevitably a poignant day for the host nation, arriving so soon after the horrific tragic incident in Bondi. The minute’s silence observed prior to the first ball was perfectly observed, followed by musician a rendition delivering a stirring version of the anthem True Blue.

Earlier, the hosts were also forced into an alteration from their stated starting eleven. Veteran batsman Steve Smith was withdrawn due to feeling dizzy along with sickness in the morning – an apparent recurrence of a vertigo issue that has periodically affected the star batter since he was struck by a Jofra Archer bouncer at Lord’s years back.

In came Usman Khawaja, a day after it was speculated his international career may be over. Before the wicketkeeper's heroics, the left-hander had held the innings together, coming to the crease at 33/2 before finessing 82 off 126 deliveries a day out before his 39th birthday. Partnerships of 61 with Labuschagne plus another of 91 with Alex Carey were significant.

England's Frustration Persists.

Aside from Archer's efforts, and despite the energy-sapping conditions, this was yet another disappointing outing from England’s attack. Seamer Brydon Carse rather rolled over his inconsistent form of the first two Tests, picking up figures of 2/70 off 13 overs, and the incoming Josh Tongue picked up one for 63 in 15 overs.

Carse was erratic when handed sharing the duty of the new cherry early on, no-balling on five occasions but still removing Travis Head for just 10 runs thanks to a spectacular catch from Zak Crawley in the covers. It rather encapsulated the day for both teams: brilliance interspersed with some error-prone play.