Alex Carey's Stunning Century Assists Australia Regroup After Early England Test Series Charge.
In the wake of that chaos of the Perth Test and the Gabba's pink-ball spectacle, an outbreak of familiar brand of Test cricket broke out on the turf of the Adelaide ground. For the locals, it was one to enjoy, with homegrown talent the wicketkeeper-batsman notched up a magnificent hundred on his home ground as Australia Australia edge the first day's play.
Not that England, 2-0 down while clinging on in the series, could be too downbeat. Skipper Ben Stokes had lost what seemed like an ominous toss and, though not at their best, his bowlers continued persevering under scorching conditions. At stumps, the Australians had reached 326-8 from 83 overs bowled – a total on the board but surely below initial expectations when Pat Cummins won the toss in the morning.
Jofra Archer Leads England's Fightback.
The standout among England was speedster Jofra Archer. Returning figures of three for 29 off 16 overs were a strong riposte to some of scrutiny directed at him this past week. On this day he visibly spearheaded the bowling unit, clocking 88mph (142kph) with the speedometer and offering his captain a combination of control together with clear menace. Only at the end of play – during a single over with the second new ball – did he look somewhat jaded.
Having bounced out Jake Weatherald first thing, the fast bowler's first over post-lunch accounted for Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green within just three balls. Green's duck served as a stark reminder that cricket can bring even a celebrated player back to reality, coming from tepid chip shot to mid-wicket arriving less than a day following trousering a massive £1.5m deal in the Indian Premier League.
Carey's Priceless Contribution Rescues The Ship.
Alex Carey's day, in contrast, was simply invaluable, culminating around late afternoon when he drove Stokes through cover for three runs and the crowd rose in a huge roar. Coming off his masterful display behind the stumps at the Gabba, the left-hander's counterattacking 106 from 143 balls ensured that a post-lunch wobble to 94/4 failed to develop into a complete collapse. At 34, Carey has become a serious Test match player nowadays.
The Australian batting lineup did leave some runs out there, though. Gone was the pronounced pace and bounce of the opening matches and in its place just a hint of seam movement when a good length was hit.
There was also a bit of grip to off-spinner Will Jacks, even if his control was typical of a part-timer – hence expensive figures of 2/105 from 20 overs – and the balls he did get to misbehave will give hope to Australia's own spinner, Nathan Lyon.
Emotional Backdrop with Late Team Change.
The day's play was inevitably an emotional occasion for Australia, arriving so soon after a devastating terrorist attack in Bondi. A minute's silence prior to the start of play was immaculately held, broken only by folk singer John Williams performing a stirring rendition of the anthem 'True Blue'.
Earlier, the hosts had also been forced into a change to their announced starting eleven. Steve Smith pulled out due to feeling dizzy along with nausea first thing – an apparent recurrence of a vertigo issue that has periodically affected him since being felled by Archer at Lord's years back.
His place was taken by Usman Khawaja, just 24 hours after it was speculated his international career could be over. Before the wicketkeeper's heroics, the left-hander had expertly held the Australian innings steady, walking out at 33 for two and finessing a fine 82 from 126 deliveries a day out before his 39th birthday. Partnerships of 61 with Marnus Labuschagne and 91 runs with Carey were significant.
England's Frustration Continues.
Aside from Archer's efforts, and despite the sapping heat, it remained still another disappointing outing for the English bowling attack. Seamer Brydon Carse rather continued his form from the first two Tests, finishing with two for 70 from 13 overs, and the recalled Josh Tongue picked up one for 63 in 15 overs.
Carse was erratic when handed sharing the duty of the new cherry early on, overstepping five times but still removing Travis Head for 10 courtesy of a sublime catch by Zak Crawley at cover. This moment summed up the day for both teams: brilliance interspersed with some sloppy cricket.
