A century from Alex Carey and some outstanding bowling from Jofra Archer were the centrepieces of a tense opening day in Adelaide, which finished with Australia placed handily – but not decisively – on 326 for eight.
That was better than they might have expected after two wickets from Archer in the first over after lunch left them teetering at 94 for four, and in danger of throwing away the advantage of making first use of a typically even-natured Adelaide pitch.
But Usman Khawaja, playing only because of the dramatic late withdrawal of Steve Smith, who was suffering from vertigo, survived a chance to Harry Brook at second slip on five to make a gutsy 82, before Carey took control.
He survived a curious moment on 72, when England reviewed a caught-behind appeal off Josh Tongue, convinced Carey had underedged a cut through to Jamie Smith. But while the technology revealed a clear spike, it came before the ball had got anywhere near the bat.
Up in the commentary box, Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden felt Carey had got lucky. Ten overs later, Australia’s wicketkeeper was driving Ben Stokes through the covers for three to bring up his third Test century, and earn from a crowd of over 56,000 – a ground record – the day’s biggest cheer.
Born in Loxton, 130 miles inland from Adelaide, Carey is – by Australian measurements – a local hero. The mood was already emotional after the day began with a poignant rendition of ‘True Blue’ by John Williamson, followed by a minute’s silence, in the honour for the victims of the Bondi Beach atrocity.
Now Carey provided a happier outlet for spectators. Only Travis Head has scored more runs in this series than his 195. His elevation to No 6 suits him.
England will feel all is not lost, though on a pitch already showing signs of turn for Will Jacks, they will probably need to take some kind of first-innings lead if they are to secure the win they need to keep the Ashes alive. And that may require them to go beyond 400, which they have managed only twice in 33 innings in Australia since winning 3–1 in 2010-11.
That they made Australia fight for their runs on a day when temperatures touched 35 degrees was almost exclusively down to Archer, who made a point to the critics who had questioned everything from his commitment to his love of pillows and necklaces.
Comments made by Ryan Harris, the former Australian fast bowler who now coaches South Australia, were received especially badly in the England camp, with Harris mocking Archer’s penchant for gold chains after the second Test at Brisbane.
‘If he takes it off, he might be able to bowl quicker,’ sneered Harris. ‘We all know you’ve got a bit of money, mate. Take it off, will ya?’
That followed the undisguised contempt shown by Ponting for Archer’s rapid spell to Smith as the pink-ball Test at the Gabba came to a close. ‘Too late for that, champ,’ he said up in the commentary box, after Archer had responded to Ben Stokes’s plea to land some blows for the rest of the series.
Before that, Hayden had looked on in horror as Archer emerged for the third day in Brisbane carrying a pillow.
Archer has been here before, of course, with pundits wondering why he can’t bowl 92mph at a click of the fingers, and refusing to engage with the cultural nuances that explain some of his behaviour.
His preference is to keep his head down. Australian broadcasters have tried in vain to bag an interview on this trip, and even Stokes conceded earlier this week that Archer is ‘someone who doesn’t give too much away’.
And so, on the first day in Adelaide, he was simply left to respond in the only way he knows how, by running in with that silky approach and obliging Australia to see him off, and go after some inevitably loose offerings from the other end.
First Archer hurried Jake Weatherald into a scuffed pull, easily caught for 18 by Jamie Smith running round to his right from behind the stumps. Then, in an extraordinary first over after lunch, Archer had both Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green caught at midwicket.
While Labuschagne could hardly drag himself off after pulling the first ball after the interval straight to Brydon Carse, Green was left to reflect on the ups and downs of the day job after flicking his second ball to the same fielder. The previous day, he had been bought for £2m at the IPL auction by Kolkata Knight Riders. Now, he was trudging off for a duck.
By stumps, Archer had figures of 16–5–29–3, but England’s problem was that their four other bowlers had a combined five for 291.
Carse, preferred in this game to Gus Atkinson, had bowled far too short with the new ball, redeeming himself only partially when Head was brilliantly caught in the covers, low down and one-handed, by Zak Crawley for 10.
Later, Carse had Pat Cummins caught by Ollie Pope at short leg after a thin edge on to his hip, and he now has 11 wickets in this series, second only to Mitchell Starc. On the flip side, his economy-rate of nearly five and a half has offered England little control.
Neither was any forthcoming from Jacks, the part-time off-spinner who has jumped the queue to oust Shoaib Bashir. His 20 overs went for 105, a profligacy offset partly by the wickets of Khawaja and Carey, both caught miscuing slog-sweeps.
Stokes kept things reasonably tight, but went wicketless, and it was left to Tongue – fast and wholehearted – to make the other breakthrough, forcing Josh Inglis to play on for 32 after his defensive push was beaten for pace.
But Carey remained resolute, and Australia have runs on the board. So far in this series, that has proved enough.
