Alex Carey’s superb century led Australia to 326-8 as a spirited England bowling display kept the tourists’ faint Ashes hopes alive on the first day of the third Test in Adelaide.
Trailing 2-0 in the five-match series after heavy defeats in Perth and Brisbane, England’s hopes of making an unlikely comeback suffered a further blow when returning Australia captain Pat Cummins won the toss to earn the home side first hit in batting-friendly conditions.
However, Ben Stokes’ side defied the baking heat and seemingly flat surface at the Adelaide Oval to take regular wickets, with only Usman Khawaja (82) – called into the side at the last moment as a replacement for the unwell Steve Smith – and Carey (106) making proper use of the conditions.
Jofra Archer (3-29) spearheaded England’s attack, taking the opening wicket and crucially striking twice in the first over after lunch when Australia were threatening to take control.
Josh Tongue, who replaced Gus Atkinson in England’s only change from the second Test, bowled impressively to return figures of 1-63, while Brydon Carse (2-70) rewarded Stokes’ continued faith in him with some crucial contributions.
Carey struck a superb century for Australia
All-rounder Will Jacks – preferred to full-time spinner Shoaib Bashir – was targeted by Australia but held his nerve to take the key wickets of Khawaja and Carey.
While England will undoubtedly be satisfied with their returns on the first day, it remains to be seen whether the tourists’ under-fire batting unit can take advantage of the conditions to set up the victory they need to prevent Australia retaining the Ashes.
Spirited England aided by poor Australian shots
Australia suffered a major blow before play began when Smith, who had captained the home side in Cummins’ absence during the first two Tests, was ruled out having suffered “nausea and dizziness” in the days building up to the game.
While it was a toss both sides would have wanted to win, Smith’s absence did at least give England the boost of weakening Australia’s line-up, with Khawaja offered a reprieve just when many thought his Test career was over.
Archer, and Carse in particular, were inaccurate with the new ball as openers Travis Head and Jake Weatherald comfortably guided Australia to 33 without loss after eight overs.
Jofra Archer led the England bowling attack with three wickets on day one
But Archer, who had gradually found his groove after facing criticism for his display in the second Test, got the breakthrough when he beat Weatherald (18) for pace with a short delivery that popped up off a top edge for an easy catch to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.
Carse, who could have had no complaints if he had been taken off after a poor start, then struck in the next over as Zak Crawley took a stunning one-handed catch to dismiss the dangerous Head for just 10.
Tongue made a fine start on his return to the side but the fielding woes that plagued England during the second Test momentarily returned when Harry Brook put down Khawaja on five at second slip, missing the chance to reduce Australia to 50-3.
Will Jacks took two crucial wickets for England
Australia eased to 94-2 at lunch, but Marnus Labuschagne (19) played an awful shot to the first ball after the interval as he gently hit an Archer loosener straight to Carse at mid-wicket.
Archer then made it two in three balls when Cameron Green (0) made a similarly poor error, flicking the ball off his pads to Carse, who this time had to dive to his right to ensure Australia were reduced to 94-4.
Khawaja looked to be taking full advantage of both Smith’s absence and Brook’s drop as he and Carey steadied things for Australia, but he too threw away his wicket when a sweep-slog off Jacks found Tongue on the leg-side boundary.
Carey takes advantage of snicko reprieve
Josh Tongue claimed a deserved wicket on his return to the England side
Tongue got a deserved wicket himself as Josh Inglis (32) played a short delivery onto his own stumps, and the England bowler thought he had another scalp in his next over when there was a clear noise as the ball passed Carey’s outside edge on its way through to Smith.
The umpire gave it not out, but England instantly reviewed, while a disappointed-looking Carey, on 72 at the time, appeared to tell his captain Cummins at the other end that he had hit the ball.
The snickometer showed a huge spike, but as it was a couple of frames before the ball passed the bat, the third umpire upheld the decision, offering a fortunate reprieve for Carey. The incident will raise further questions over the quality of the technology, which appears to be inferior to the ultra edge system used for Test matches in England.
Snickometer did at least deliver for England a short time later when it backed up the umpire’s decision to give Cummins out after an inside edge from a Carse delivery popped up off his thigh-pad to Ollie Pope at short leg. The Australia captain’s review appeared to be in hope of the technology proving inaccurate rather than because he didn’t think he’d hit the ball.
England wicketkeeper Jamie Smith ended Carey’s innings
Despite having benefitted from a moment of fortune, Carey played superbly throughout his innings and brought up his first Ashes century by driving Stokes through the covers, cueing emotional celebrations as he looked to the sky following his father’s death in September.
A tired England looked to be posing little threat to Carey and Mitchell Starc (33 not out), but the former went for one big shot too many and skied an attempted slog sweep off Jacks to set up an easy catch for Smith.
England were unable to remove Starc or the scoreless Nathan Lyon as they bowled three overs with the new ball at the end of the day, but will understand the importance of not allowing the home side too many more runs on Thursday morning.
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