Australia's Alex Carey's Stunning Century Assists The Hosts Bounce Back From Early English Ashes Charge.
Following that chaos from the Perth Test as well as Brisbane's day-night spectacle, an outbreak of familiar style regarding Test cricket was witnessed on the turf of the Adelaide ground. For the delighted home crowd, the day proved one to savour, as local hero Alex Carey delivered a magnificent century on his home turf to help Australia edge the first day's play.
However, England, 2-0 down while still fighting in this contest, were entirely downbeat. Ben Stokes lost out on what seemed like a significant toss and, despite being far from perfect, his bowlers kept plugging away in 35c conditions. At stumps, the Australians were 326-8 from 83 overs bowled – a total on the board but surely below their expectations when Pat Cummins got the toss first thing.
Jofra Archer Leads England's Effort.
The most impressive performer for the tourists proved to be Jofra Archer. Figures of 3/29 off 16 overs were a powerful riposte against some of scrutiny directed at him this past week. Here he visibly led the bowling unit, averaging around 88mph (142kph) on the speed gun and offering Stokes both control together with obvious threat. It was only towards the end of the day – one over using the fresh cherry – that he appeared a bit jaded.
After bounced out Jake Weatherald first thing, the fast bowler's first over post-lunch wiped out Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green in the space of three balls. The all-rounder's golden duck was a reminder of how this sport can bring a player back down to earth, his weak chip to the mid-wicket fielder occurring less than a day after trousering a massive multi-million dollar deal for the upcoming Indian Premier League.
The Keeper's Invaluable Innings Rescues The Innings.
Alex Carey's day, in contrast, was nothing short of priceless, peaking at 4.48pm when he elegantly drove Ben Stokes through the covers for three runs and the Adelaide faithful rose with a roar. Coming off that masterful outing behind the stumps in Brisbane, his aggressive 106 runs off 143 balls ensured that the post-lunch wobble to 94 for four did not become a complete collapse. The 34-year-old is a genuinely cricketer nowadays.
The Australian batting lineup did leave some runs on the field, however. Gone was that pronounced pace and bounce of the first two Tests replaced by just a hint of nibble when a good length was located.
There was also some grip to Will Jacks, even if his consistency was that of a part-time spinner – resulting in figures of two for 105 off his 20 overs – and the balls he did get to turn sharply will give hope to Nathan Lyon.
Emotional Context with Late Switch.
The day's play was inevitably a poignant occasion for Australia, coming so shortly in the wake of the horrific terrorist attack at Bondi. The minute’s silence before the first ball was immaculately observed, followed by folk singer John Williams performing an emotional rendition of the anthem True Blue.
Earlier, Australia were also forced into a change from their stated XI. Veteran batsman Steve Smith pulled out after reporting feeling dizzy and sickness in the morning – an apparent return of a vertigo issue which has intermittently troubled the star batter ever since he was struck by a Jofra Archer bouncer at Lord’s years back.
In came Usman Khawaja, a day after many felt his Test career may be over. Until the wicketkeeper's heroics, Khawaja had held the Australian innings together, walking out with the score on 33/2 before finessing 82 off 126 balls a day out before his 39th birthday. Stands of 61 with Marnus Labuschagne plus another of 91 with Alex Carey proved crucial.
England's Mixed Bag Persists.
Archer aside, and despite the sapping conditions, it remained still another disappointing day for the English bowling attack. Seamer Brydon Carse somewhat continued his inconsistent form of the series, picking up two for 70 off 13 overs, while the incoming Josh Tongue picked up 1/63 in 15 overs.
The Durham bowler was all over the shop when tasked with sharing the new cherry first thing, overstepping five times but still removing Travis Head for 10 thanks to a sublime catch from Zak Crawley in the covers. This moment encapsulated the day for both sides: brilliance interspersed with periods of error-prone play.