Australia's Alex Carey's Sparkling Century Aids Australia Recover From A Swift England Ashes Assault.
After the chaos of the Perth Test and the Gabba's day-night palooza, a more familiar style regarding Test cricket was witnessed on the turf of the Adelaide ground. For the delighted South Australian fans, it was a day to savour, with homegrown talent the wicketkeeper-batsman notched up a sparkling century at his home ground to help Australia just shade day one.
However, England, 2-0 down while still fighting in the contest, could be entirely downbeat. Skipper Ben Stokes had lost what seemed like an ominous toss and, despite being far from at their best, his bowlers continued toiling under scorching conditions. By the close of play, the Australians had reached 326 for eight from 83 overs – runs on the board but surely short of their ambitions after Pat Cummins won the toss in the morning.
The Pace of Archer Leads England's Fightback.
The standout among the tourists was Jofra Archer. Figures of three for 29 off his 16 overs were a strong response against the scrutiny directed at him this past week. Here he clearly spearheaded the bowling unit, averaging 88mph (142kph) with the speedometer while providing Stokes a combination of accuracy together with obvious menace. It was only towards the very end of play – during a single over with the second new ball – did he look somewhat weary.
After dismissed opener Jake Weatherald early on, the fast bowler's first over after lunch wiped out Marnus Labuschagne followed by Cameron Green in the space of three deliveries. The all-rounder's duck was a stark reminder that this sport can bring a player back down to earth, his tepid chip to mid-wicket occurring barely a day after trousering a record ÂŁ1.5m deal in the IPL.
Carey's Priceless Innings Steadies The Ship.
Alex Carey's performance, however, was nothing short of priceless, peaking at 4.48pm when he drove Ben Stokes through cover for three runs and the Adelaide faithful rose in a huge roar. Fresh from that masterful outing behind the stumps in Brisbane, the left-hander's counterattacking 106 off 143 balls ensured that a post-lunch wobble of 94/4 failed to develop into a full-blown collapse. The 34-year-old has become a genuinely Test match player nowadays.
Australia undoubtedly left a few runs out there, however. Absent was the pronounced pace and bounce of the first two Tests and in its place only a fraction of nibble if a good length was located.
The pitch also offered a bit of grip to Will Jacks, even if his consistency was typical of a part-timer – hence expensive figures of 2/105 from 20 overs – and the balls he did get to turn sharply will give hope to Australia's own spinner, Nathan Lyon.
Solemn Backdrop and Late Team Change.
This was always going to be a poignant day for Australia, arriving so soon in the wake of a devastating terrorist attack at Bondi. The minute’s silence before the start of play was immaculately held, broken only by musician a rendition performing a stirring version of the anthem 'True Blue'.
Earlier, Australia had also been forced into a change to their stated starting eleven. Steve Smith pulled out due to feeling dizzy along with nausea in the morning – seemingly return of the vertigo which has periodically affected the star batter ever since he was struck by Archer at Lord’s years back.
His place was taken by Usman Khawaja, a day after many felt his Test career could be over. Until Carey's arrival, the left-hander had expertly held the Australian innings together, walking out with the score on 33/2 before crafting 82 from 126 deliveries just a day before turning 39. Partnerships worth 61 runs with Marnus Labuschagne and 91 with Carey were significant.
England's Mixed Bag Persists.
Archer aside, and notwithstanding the energy-sapping conditions, this was still another frustrating outing for the English bowling attack. Seamer Brydon Carse rather rolled over his form of the series, picking up figures of 2/70 from 13 overs, while the incoming Josh Tongue picked up 1/63 in 15 overs.
The Durham bowler looked all over the shop when handed sharing the duty of the new ball first thing, overstepping five times yet dismissing Travis Head for 10 courtesy of a spectacular one-handed catch by Zak Crawley at cover. This moment summed up the day's play for both teams: moments of brilliance mixed with some sloppy cricket.