Alex Carey's Sparkling Ton Helps Australia Recover After An Early English Test Series Onslaught.

After that frenzy from Perth and Brisbane's pink-ball palooza, a more familiar style of the longest format broke out at Adelaide Oval. For the South Australian fans, it was one to cherish, with homegrown talent Alex Carey notched up a magnificent hundred at his home venue to help the home side edge the first day's play.

However, The touring English side, 2-0 down while still fighting in this contest, were entirely disheartened. Ben Stokes lost out on what appeared an ominous coin toss and, despite being far from at their best, the English attack continued persevering in 35c heat. By the close of play, the Australians were 326 for eight from 83 overs – runs on the board yet likely below their expectations when Pat Cummins got the choice first thing.

The Pace of Archer Leads The Tourist's Resistance.

The standout for the tourists proved to be Jofra Archer. Returning figures of 3/29 off his 16 overs were a strong response against some of criticism directed at him this past week. On this day he visibly spearheaded the bowling unit, averaging 88mph (142kmh) on the speedometer while providing his captain both accuracy together with clear threat. It was only towards the end of the day – during a single over using the fresh cherry – that he appeared a bit jaded.

Having bounced out opener Jake Weatherald first thing, the fast bowler's first over after lunch wiped out Marnus Labuschagne followed by Cameron Green within just three balls. The all-rounder's duck served as a reminder that this sport can bring a player back down to earth, his tepid chip shot to the mid-wicket fielder arriving barely a day after trousering a record £1.5m contract for the upcoming IPL.

Carey's Priceless Contribution Rescues The Ship.

Alex Carey's day, however, was nothing short of priceless, peaking at 4.48pm as he drove Ben Stokes through cover for three which prompted the Adelaide faithful to rise with a roar. Fresh from that virtuoso display behind the stumps in Brisbane, his aggressive 106 runs from 143 deliveries made sure that the post-lunch wobble to 94 for four failed to develop into a complete collapse. At 34, Carey is a serious cricketer these days.

The Australian batting lineup undoubtedly left some potential runs on the field, though. Gone was that pronounced pace and bounce of the first two Tests replaced by just a hint of seam movement if a good length was hit.

The pitch also offered some grip to Will Jacks, even if his consistency was that of a part-timer – resulting in expensive figures of 2/105 from 20 overs – but the deliveries that did to turn sharply will encourage Nathan Lyon.

Emotional Backdrop with A Late Team Change.

The day's play was inevitably a poignant day for the host nation, coming so shortly in the wake of a devastating terrorist attack at Bondi. The minute’s silence before the first ball was perfectly observed, broken only by folk singer John Williams performing an emotional rendition of the anthem True Blue.

By this stage, Australia were also compelled to make a change from their announced starting eleven. Veteran batsman Steve Smith was withdrawn due to feeling dizzy and sickness in the morning – seemingly recurrence of the vertigo which has periodically affected the star batter since he was struck by Archer at Lord’s six years ago.

In came Usman Khawaja, a day after it was speculated his Test career could be finished. Until the wicketkeeper's heroics, Khawaja had held the innings steady, coming to the crease with the score on 33/2 and finessing 82 off 126 deliveries a day out before his 39th birthday. Partnerships of 61 with Labuschagne plus another of 91 runs with Carey proved significant.

England's Mixed Bag Persists.

Aside from Archer's efforts, and despite the energy-sapping heat, it remained still another frustrating day for the English bowling attack. Brydon Carse rather rolled over his inconsistent form of the first two Tests, picking up figures of 2/70 from his 13 overs, and the incoming Josh Tongue picked up one for 63 from 15 overs.

The Durham bowler was all over the shop when handed sharing the new ball first thing, overstepping on five occasions but still dismissing Travis Head for just 10 runs thanks to a sublime catch by Zak Crawley at cover. This moment encapsulated the day for both teams: moments of brilliance interspersed with some sloppy play.