🔗 Share this article Australia's Alex Carey's Sparkling Century Aids The Baggy Greens Regroup From An Early English Ashes Assault. Following that chaos of Perth and Brisbane's day-night spectacle, an outbreak of traditional brand of the longest format returned on the turf of the Adelaide ground. For the South Australian fans, the day proved a day to enjoy, with their boy Alex Carey produced an outstanding century on his home venue as Australia Australia just shade the opening day. Not that England, trailing 2-0 and still fighting in this contest, were too disheartened. Skipper Ben Stokes had lost what seemed like a significant coin toss and, despite being far from perfect, his bowlers continued persevering in sweltering conditions. At stumps, Australia had reached 326-8 off 83 overs – runs on the board but surely below their ambitions when captain Pat Cummins got the choice first thing. The Pace of Archer Stands Out For The Tourist's Resistance. The most impressive performer among the tourists proved to be Jofra Archer. Figures of 3/29 off 16 overs constituted a strong riposte against the criticism that came his way. On this day he visibly led the bowling unit, clocking 88mph (142kph) with the speedometer and offering his captain a combination of accuracy and clear menace. Only at the very end of play – one over with the second new ball – did he look somewhat weary. After bounced out opener Jake Weatherald early on, the fast bowler's initial over post-lunch accounted for Marnus Labuschagne followed by Cameron Green in the space of three balls. The all-rounder's duck was a reminder of how cricket can bring even a celebrated player back to reality, his weak chip shot to the mid-wicket fielder arriving barely a day after securing a massive £1.5m contract in the IPL. The Keeper's Priceless Contribution Steadies The Innings. Carey's performance, in contrast, was nothing short of priceless, peaking at 4.48pm as he elegantly drove Ben Stokes through cover for three runs and the Adelaide faithful rose with a roar. Coming off that masterful display behind the stumps at the Gabba, his aggressive 106 runs from 143 balls made sure that a post-lunch wobble of 94/4 failed to develop into a full-blown collapse. The 34-year-old is a genuinely cricketer nowadays. The Australian batting lineup did leave a few runs on the field, however. Gone was the excessive pace and bounce of the first two Tests and in its place just a hint of nibble if the right area was hit. The pitch also offered some grip for Will Jacks, although his control was that of a part-time spinner – resulting in figures of 2/105 off 20 overs – and the balls he did get to turn sharply will give hope to Nathan Lyon. Emotional Context with Late Team Change. The day's play was inevitably a poignant day 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 first ball was perfectly observed, followed by folk singer John Williams delivering a stirring rendition of 'True Blue'. By this stage, the hosts were also forced into an alteration from their announced XI. Veteran batsman Steve Smith pulled out due to feeling dizzy along with nausea first thing – an apparent return of the vertigo that has periodically affected him since he was struck by a Jofra Archer bouncer at Lord's six years ago. In came Usman Khawaja, just 24 hours after it was speculated his international career could be over. Until the wicketkeeper's arrival, the left-hander had expertly held the innings together, walking out with the score on 33 for two before crafting 82 from 126 deliveries just a day before turning 39. Stands of 61 with Labuschagne and 91 runs with Alex Carey were crucial. The Tourist's Mixed Bag Continues. Aside from Archer's efforts, and notwithstanding the sapping conditions, this was yet another frustrating outing from the English bowling attack. Seamer Brydon Carse somewhat rolled over his form of the series, finishing with two for 70 from 13 overs, while the recalled Josh Tongue claimed one for 63 in 15 overs. Carse looked erratic when handed sharing the duty of the new cherry early on, no-balling five times but still dismissing Travis Head for 10 thanks to a spectacular catch from Zak Crawley in the covers. This moment encapsulated the day's play for both teams: brilliance interspersed with periods of error-prone cricket.
Following that chaos of Perth and Brisbane's day-night spectacle, an outbreak of traditional brand of the longest format returned on the turf of the Adelaide ground. For the South Australian fans, the day proved a day to enjoy, with their boy Alex Carey produced an outstanding century on his home venue as Australia Australia just shade the opening day. Not that England, trailing 2-0 and still fighting in this contest, were too disheartened. Skipper Ben Stokes had lost what seemed like a significant coin toss and, despite being far from perfect, his bowlers continued persevering in sweltering conditions. At stumps, Australia had reached 326-8 off 83 overs – runs on the board but surely below their ambitions when captain Pat Cummins got the choice first thing. The Pace of Archer Stands Out For The Tourist's Resistance. The most impressive performer among the tourists proved to be Jofra Archer. Figures of 3/29 off 16 overs constituted a strong riposte against the criticism that came his way. On this day he visibly led the bowling unit, clocking 88mph (142kph) with the speedometer and offering his captain a combination of accuracy and clear menace. Only at the very end of play – one over with the second new ball – did he look somewhat weary. After bounced out opener Jake Weatherald early on, the fast bowler's initial over post-lunch accounted for Marnus Labuschagne followed by Cameron Green in the space of three balls. The all-rounder's duck was a reminder of how cricket can bring even a celebrated player back to reality, his weak chip shot to the mid-wicket fielder arriving barely a day after securing a massive £1.5m contract in the IPL. The Keeper's Priceless Contribution Steadies The Innings. Carey's performance, in contrast, was nothing short of priceless, peaking at 4.48pm as he elegantly drove Ben Stokes through cover for three runs and the Adelaide faithful rose with a roar. Coming off that masterful display behind the stumps at the Gabba, his aggressive 106 runs from 143 balls made sure that a post-lunch wobble of 94/4 failed to develop into a full-blown collapse. The 34-year-old is a genuinely cricketer nowadays. The Australian batting lineup did leave a few runs on the field, however. Gone was the excessive pace and bounce of the first two Tests and in its place just a hint of nibble if the right area was hit. The pitch also offered some grip for Will Jacks, although his control was that of a part-time spinner – resulting in figures of 2/105 off 20 overs – and the balls he did get to turn sharply will give hope to Nathan Lyon. Emotional Context with Late Team Change. The day's play was inevitably a poignant day 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 first ball was perfectly observed, followed by folk singer John Williams delivering a stirring rendition of 'True Blue'. By this stage, the hosts were also forced into an alteration from their announced XI. Veteran batsman Steve Smith pulled out due to feeling dizzy along with nausea first thing – an apparent return of the vertigo that has periodically affected him since he was struck by a Jofra Archer bouncer at Lord's six years ago. In came Usman Khawaja, just 24 hours after it was speculated his international career could be over. Until the wicketkeeper's arrival, the left-hander had expertly held the innings together, walking out with the score on 33 for two before crafting 82 from 126 deliveries just a day before turning 39. Stands of 61 with Labuschagne and 91 runs with Alex Carey were crucial. The Tourist's Mixed Bag Continues. Aside from Archer's efforts, and notwithstanding the sapping conditions, this was yet another frustrating outing from the English bowling attack. Seamer Brydon Carse somewhat rolled over his form of the series, finishing with two for 70 from 13 overs, while the recalled Josh Tongue claimed one for 63 in 15 overs. Carse looked erratic when handed sharing the duty of the new cherry early on, no-balling five times but still dismissing Travis Head for 10 thanks to a spectacular catch from Zak Crawley in the covers. This moment encapsulated the day's play for both teams: brilliance interspersed with periods of error-prone cricket.