Just seven days into this Ashes series, and already it feels incapable of pausing for breath. Day one at Adelaide Oval unfolded with the same breathless chaos that has defined the opening week, leaving a record crowd of 56,298 unsure whether England were clawing their way back into contention or whether Alex Carey’s sublime maiden Ashes hundred had pushed them closer to the brink.
The only moment of calm came before a ball was bowled, as players and spectators stood united in a moving tribute to the victims of the Bondi terror attack. On either side of that stillness lay disorder. Steven Smith’s late withdrawal with vertigo, announced just 45 minutes before the toss, not only reshaped Australia’s plans but handed Usman Khawaja an unexpected lifeline that may yet redefine his Test career.
From there, the day lurched between extremes. England’s bowlers flirted with indiscipline on a stifling morning, only for Australia to repay the favour with a sequence of five rash dismissals, six in total from eight wickets. The most costly came straight after lunch, when Jofra Archer struck twice in three balls to reignite England’s campaign, a pointed riposte to criticism that followed his Brisbane performance.
Khawaja’s revival hinged on a single moment. Dropped on 5 by Harry Brook at slip, he abandoned caution and punished a stream of loose deliveries from an attack short on control. Later, controversy returned when Carey survived a caught-behind decision on 72 — a call later attributed by Simon Taufel to faulty technology calibration. Carey himself admitted he thought he’d nicked it, and officials subsequently acknowledged the error.
The tempo never relented. Australia’s eventual run rate dipping below four an over owed much to Archer, whose relentless accuracy and pace delivered figures of 3 for 29 from 16 overs. Like Mitchell Starc in earlier Tests, Archer stood isolated — a lone enforcer amid inconsistency.
Yet Australia, not England, squandered the chance to seize full control. Historically dominant when batting first at Adelaide, the hosts rarely fail to post a commanding total. With Starc unbeaten late on day one, they could still push beyond par — but England, bruised and erratic though they remain, showed enough bite to sense opportunity.
England’s opening spells hinted at lingering complacency. Brydon Carse began sharply before reverting to short, hittable fare that Jake Weatherald happily exploited. The breakthrough came via Archer, who dialled up the hostility, coaxing Weatherald forward before unleashing a 147kph bouncer that Jamie Smith expertly pouched.
Moments later, Travis Head fell to a stunning one-handed catch from Zak Crawley, lifting England further. Khawaja followed, tentative at first, grinding through 27 balls for five runs before Brook’s spill transformed his approach. Freed from restraint, he carved freely behind square, racing to a half-century and exposing England’s fragile discipline.
Australia matched that lack of care after lunch. Labuschagne pulled loosely to midwicket, gifting Carse a regulation catch, before Cameron Green followed with an innocuous push that somehow found the same fielder. Suddenly, momentum swung again.
Carey, though, never lost clarity. His timing was pristine, his shot selection assured, even as England crowded the covers. Alongside Khawaja, he restored order with a stand of 91, aided by Will Jacks’ expensive offspin, which offered more optimism than control. Ironically, Jacks’ finest delivery of the day soon brought Khawaja undone, slog-sweeping to deep midwicket.
Josh Inglis briefly accelerated the scoring before Tongue breached his defences, while Carse added another via a rising ball into Pat Cummins’ body, upheld by DRS — unlike Carey’s earlier reprieve.
That escape paved the way for the day’s most poignant moment. Carey reached his century and dedicated it to his late father Gordon, who passed away in September. The emotion was raw and visible, mirrored by tears in the stands.
His dismissal, when it came, was anticlimactic — a miscued slog-sweep off Jacks that floated to Smith. Though Starc and Lyon survived to stumps, Australia’s grip loosened.
For the third Test running, England closed day one seemingly competitive. Whether that promise translates into substance depends, as ever, on their mercurial batting. Only then will the true strength of their resolve — and their Ashes campaign — be revealed.
