Carey enjoys home comforts but Australia gifts give England hope

South Australian's century rescues hosts who lost cheap wickets to keep tourists alive

- Ali Martin Adelaide Oval

After the pandemonium of Perth and Brisbane’s pink-ball palooza came a more familiar opening day at Adelaide Oval. It was also roasting hot out in the middle - 35C on the mercury - and when the toss went against Ben Stokes and his embattled England players, they could easily have melted.

Instead, despite some sloppiness and Alex Carey’smagical century on the ground he calls home, the tourists kept plugging away with the fight that Stokes called for at 2-0 down. At stumps Australia were 326 for eight from 83 sapping overs - runs on the heritage-listed scoreboard, granted, but short of ambitions when the returning Pat Cummins got the choice first thing.

Among the reasons diagnosed for England’s precarious position in this Ashes series has been the lack of an attack leader but here one stood up. Jofra Archer’s figures of three for 29 from 16 overs were a strong riposteto some of the criticism this past week: heaveraged 88mphon thespeed gun, offered Stokes precious control and wasa threat to Australia throughout.

There was generosity from the hosts, however. Having bounced out Jake Weatherald first thing, Archer wiped out Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green inside his first three ballsafterlunch viaa couple of tepid chips to midwicket. Green’s duck was alsoabump back to earth, lessthan24 hours after trousering a £2.06m deal to playin the Indian Premier League.