Alex Carey's Brilliant Ton Assists The Baggy Greens Bounce Back After Early England Test Series Charge.
After the frenzy of Perth and Brisbane's pink-ball palooza, a more familiar brand of red-ball cricket broke out at the Adelaide ground. For the South Australian fans, the day proved a day to cherish, with their boy the wicketkeeper-batsman delivered an outstanding hundred at his home venue as Australia the home side just shade the opening day.
Not that The touring English side, 2-0 down and still fighting in this series, were too downbeat. Ben Stokes had lost what appeared an ominous coin toss and, despite being not perfect, the English attack continued persevering under 35c heat. At stumps, Australia had reached 326 for eight from 83 overs – a total on the board but surely below initial expectations after Pat Cummins won the toss in the morning.
The Pace of Archer Stands Out For England's Effort.
The standout among the tourists was Jofra Archer. Figures of three for 29 off his 16 overs were a strong riposte to some of scrutiny directed at him this past week. Here he clearly led the bowling unit, averaging around 88mph (142kph) on the speedometer and offering Stokes a combination of accuracy and clear menace. Only at the very end of play – during a single over using the second new ball – did he look a bit weary.
Having dismissed opener Jake Weatherald early on, Archer's first over after lunch wiped out Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green in the space of three balls. Green's duck was a stark reminder that this sport can bring even a celebrated player back to reality, his weak chip shot to mid-wicket arriving less than a day following trousering a record £1.5m deal in the IPL.
The Keeper's Invaluable Innings Steadies The Innings.
Carey's performance, however, was nothing short of priceless, culminating around late afternoon as he elegantly drove Ben Stokes through cover for three runs which prompted the crowd rose with a roar. Fresh from that masterful display behind the stumps at the Gabba, the left-hander's counterattacking 106 from 143 deliveries ensured that the post-lunch wobble to 94 for four failed to develop into a complete crisis. At 34, Carey is a serious cricketer nowadays.
The Australian batting lineup did leave some runs out there, though. Gone was that excessive bounce from the first two Tests replaced by just a hint of seam movement if a good length was hit.
There was also a bit of grip for Will Jacks, even if his control was typical of a part-timer – hence figures of 2/105 from his 20 overs – but the deliveries that did to turn sharply will give hope to Nathan Lyon.
Solemn Context with A Late Switch.
The day's play was inevitably an emotional occasion for Australia, arriving so shortly after a devastating terrorist attack at Bondi. The minute’s silence before the start of play was immaculately held, broken only by folk singer John Williams performing an emotional rendition of the anthem 'True Blue'.
By this stage, the hosts were also compelled to make a change to their stated starting eleven. Steve Smith was withdrawn due to feeling dizzy and nausea in the morning – seemingly return of a vertigo issue which has periodically affected the star batter since he was struck by Archer at Lord's six years ago.
His place was taken by Usman Khawaja, a day after it was speculated his international career could be finished. Until Carey's arrival, the left-hander had expertly held the innings together, coming to the crease with the score on 33/2 before crafting a fine 82 off 126 balls a day out before turning 39. Stands of 61 with Marnus Labuschagne plus another of 91 runs with Carey proved significant.
The Tourist's Frustration Persists.
Archer aside, and notwithstanding the sapping conditions, this was still another disappointing outing from the English bowling attack. Brydon Carse rather rolled over his inconsistent form of the first two Tests, picking up figures of 2/70 from 13 overs, and the recalled Josh Tongue picked up one for 63 in 15 overs.
The Durham bowler looked erratic when handed sharing the duty of the new cherry first thing, overstepping on five occasions but still removing Travis Head for 10 courtesy of a spectacular catch from Zak Crawley at cover. This moment summed up the day for both teams: moments of brilliance mixed with periods of error-prone play.