Alex Carey's Brilliant Ton Helps Australia Bounce Back From An Early English Ashes Onslaught.

After the chaos of Perth and the Gabba's pink-ball palooza, a more familiar brand of the longest format broke out on the turf of Adelaide Oval. For the locals, it was one to enjoy, as local hero the wicketkeeper-batsman notched up an outstanding hundred on his home venue as Australia Australia just shade day one.

However, England, trailing 2-0 and still fighting in this series, were too disappointed. Ben Stokes lost out on what seemed like an ominous toss and, though far from at their best, the English attack continued persevering under 35c heat. At stumps, the Australians had reached 326-8 from 83 overs – a total on the board but surely short of their ambitions after Pat Cummins won the choice in the morning.

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

The most impressive performer among the tourists proved to be speedster Jofra Archer. Figures of 3/29 off 16 overs constituted a powerful riposte against some of criticism that came his way. Here he visibly spearheaded the bowling unit, averaging around 88mph (142kmh) on the speedometer while providing Stokes both accuracy together with obvious menace. Only at the very end of the day – during a single over with the second new ball – did he look a bit weary.

Having bounced out opener Jake Weatherald first thing, Archer's initial over post-lunch wiped out Marnus Labuschagne followed by Cameron Green within just three balls. Green's duck was a reminder of how cricket can swiftly bring even a celebrated player back down to earth, coming from weak chip to the mid-wicket fielder occurring less than 24 hours after trousering a record multi-million dollar contract for the upcoming Indian Premier League.

The Keeper's Priceless Innings Rescues The Innings.

Alex Carey's day, however, was simply priceless, peaking around 4.48pm as he elegantly drove Stokes through the covers for three runs which prompted the crowd rose with a roar. Coming off that virtuoso outing with the gloves in Brisbane, the left-hander's counterattacking 106 from 143 deliveries made sure that the mid-innings stumble of 94 for four did not become a full-blown crisis. At 34, Carey is a genuinely cricketer these days.

The Australian batting lineup undoubtedly left some runs on the field, however. Gone was that pronounced pace and bounce from the opening matches and in its place just a hint of seam movement if the right area was hit.

The pitch also offered some grip for Will Jacks, even if his consistency was that of a part-timer – resulting in figures of two for 105 from his 20 overs – but the deliveries that did to turn sharply will give hope to Nathan Lyon.

Solemn Context with Late Team Change.

This was always going to be a poignant day for the host nation, arriving so shortly after the horrific terrorist attack in Bondi. A minute's silence observed prior to the first ball was perfectly observed, broken only by folk singer John Williams delivering an emotional rendition of the anthem True Blue.

Earlier, the hosts were also forced into a change from their stated starting eleven. Steve Smith pulled out after reporting dizziness and sickness in the morning – seemingly recurrence of a vertigo issue which has periodically affected the star batter ever since being felled by a Jofra Archer bouncer at Lord’s years back.

His place was taken by Usman Khawaja, a day after many felt his Test career may be over. Until the wicketkeeper's arrival, the left-hander had expertly held the innings together, coming to the crease with the score on 33 for two and finessing a fine 82 off 126 balls a day out from his 39th birthday. Partnerships worth 61 runs with Labuschagne and 91 with Carey proved significant.

England's Mixed Bag Continues.

Archer aside, and despite the sapping heat, it remained yet another disappointing outing for the English bowling attack. Seamer Brydon Carse rather rolled over his inconsistent form of the series, picking up figures of 2/70 from 13 overs, while the recalled Josh Tongue claimed one for 63 from 15 overs.

The Durham bowler was all over the shop when handed sharing the new cherry early on, overstepping five times yet dismissing Travis Head for just 10 runs courtesy of a sublime one-handed catch from Zak Crawley at cover. This moment summed up the day's play for both teams: brilliance interspersed with periods of error-prone cricket.