Alex Carey's Brilliant Century Helps The Baggy Greens Recover After Early English Ashes Onslaught.

In the wake of that frenzy from Perth as well as Brisbane's pink-ball spectacle, a more traditional style regarding the longest format broke out on the turf of the Adelaide ground. For the delighted locals, it was one to cherish, with homegrown talent Alex Carey notched up a magnificent hundred at his home venue to help Australia edge the opening day.

However, England, trailing 2-0 and still fighting in this series, could be entirely downbeat. Ben Stokes lost out on what appeared a crucial coin toss and, though not perfect, the English attack kept plugging away under sweltering heat. By the close of play, the Australians had reached 326-8 off 83 overs bowled – runs on the board but surely below their expectations when captain Pat Cummins won the choice first thing.

The Pace of Archer Leads The Tourist's Fightback.

The most impressive performer for England was speedster Jofra Archer. Figures of 3/29 from his 16 overs constituted a strong response against some of scrutiny that came this past week. On this day he visibly led the bowling unit, averaging 88mph (142kmh) on the speedometer and offering Stokes a combination of control and clear threat. It was only towards the end of the day – one over with the fresh cherry – that he appeared a bit jaded.

After bounced out Jake Weatherald early on, Archer's first over post-lunch wiped out Marnus Labuschagne followed by Cameron Green in the space of three deliveries. The all-rounder's golden duck was a stark reminder of how cricket can swiftly bring even a celebrated player back to reality, coming from tepid chip to mid-wicket occurring less than 24 hours after trousering a massive £1.5m deal in the Indian Premier League.

The Keeper's Invaluable Innings Steadies The Ship.

Carey's day, in contrast, was nothing short of invaluable, peaking around 4.48pm when he elegantly drove Ben Stokes through the covers for three and the Adelaide faithful to rise with a roar. Fresh from that virtuoso outing with the gloves in Brisbane, his counterattacking 106 from 143 balls made sure that a post-lunch wobble to 94 for four failed to develop into a complete collapse. At 34, Carey has become a serious Test match player these days.

Australia undoubtedly left a few runs on the field, though. Gone was that pronounced pace and bounce from the opening matches replaced by just a hint of nibble if a good length was hit.

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

Solemn Backdrop with Late Team Change.

This was inevitably an emotional day for the host nation, coming so soon in the wake of the horrific tragic incident at Bondi. A minute's silence observed before the first ball was immaculately held, broken only by folk singer John Williams performing a stirring rendition of True Blue.

Earlier, the hosts had also been forced into an alteration to their stated starting eleven. Steve Smith was withdrawn due to feeling dizzy and nausea first thing – seemingly recurrence of the vertigo that has intermittently troubled the star batter 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 it was speculated his international career may be finished. Before the wicketkeeper's heroics, Khawaja had expertly held the innings together, walking out with the score on 33/2 before finessing a fine 82 from 126 balls just a day before his 39th birthday. Partnerships worth 61 runs with Marnus Labuschagne and 91 runs with Carey proved significant.

The Tourist's Mixed Bag Continues.

Aside from Archer's efforts, and notwithstanding the sapping conditions, this was still another frustrating day for England’s attack. Brydon Carse somewhat continued his inconsistent form of the series, finishing with figures of 2/70 off 13 overs, while the incoming Josh Tongue picked up one for 63 from 15 overs.

Carse looked all over the shop when handed sharing the duty of the new ball early on, no-balling on five occasions but still dismissing Travis Head for 10 courtesy of a spectacular catch from Zak Crawley at cover. This moment summed up the day's play for both sides: brilliance interspersed with some sloppy cricket.