By Martin Parry, ABC<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nAustralian batsman Alex Carey celebrates scoring a century on the first day of the third Ashes cricket Test in Adelaide.
\nPhoto: William West\n<\/p>\n
An emotional Alex Carey slammed a majestic 106 on his home ground and Usman Khawaja hit a defiant 82 Wednesday to put Australia in the driving seat of the third Ashes Test against England.<\/p>\n
Batting after captain Pat Cummins won the toss as temperatures topped 36 Celsius at Adelaide Oval, the hosts were 326-8 at stumps on day one after the shock of Steve Smith being ruled out with illness.<\/p>\n
Mitchell Starc was not out 33 and Nathan Lyon yet to score.<\/p>\n
“To make a hundred here in front of home fans and family was special,” an emotional Carey told Australian TV.<\/p>\n
As he celebrated his maiden Ashes ton, Carey gestured towards the sky in a nod to his father Gordon, who died from cancer in September.<\/p>\n
“I guess you know as well why I was looking to the heavens. I’m trying not to tear up. But, no, it was great.”<\/p>\n
The wicketkeeper’s wife Eloise was spotted in tears by TV cameras as he celebrated.<\/p>\n
“To have, mum, brother, sister, Eloise, the kids (here), it was a special moment,” Carey added.<\/p>\n
A tireless Jofra Archer ended with 3-29 on a tough day for England’s bowlers in the field.<\/p>\n
“I thought it was a good performance from our bowlers, the heat took us a bit by surprise,” said England bowling coach David Saker.<\/p>\n
“The boys toiled away.<\/p>\n
“(Archer) had a point to prove, he sustained his pace and bowled at the stumps, and he was well supported.”<\/p>\n
Khawaja reprieve<\/p>\n
Australia lead the five-Test series 2-0 and will retain the Ashes if they win or draw, after back-to-back eight-wicket thumpings in Perth and Brisbane.<\/p>\n
Smith, who has more than 10,000 runs, had been feeling unwell in the lead-up but was on Tuesday named in the side.<\/p>\n
He was on the field during the morning warm-up but left 20 minutes before the toss shaking his head.<\/p>\n
His absence gave an unexpected reprieve to Khawaja, who turns 39 on Thursday and had been overlooked as opener in favour of Travis Head and Jake Weatherald.<\/p>\n
Khawaja, who missed Brisbane after suffering back spasms in Perth, grabbed his chance in a stoic knock.<\/p>\n
He was eventually out just before tea, slog-sweeping to Josh Tongue in the deep off the spin of Will Jacks.<\/p>\n
Carey picked up the mantle, first alongside Josh Inglis (32), then Pat Cummins (13), and latterly Starc, who once more showed his prowess with the bat.<\/p>\n
Carey hit eight fours and a six in his third Test century, bringing up the milestone in front of family, friends and 56,298 fans — the biggest cricket crowd ever at the venue.<\/p>\n
Archer burst<\/p>\n
A blistering first over after lunch from Archer had left Australia reeling at 94-4.<\/p>\n
He removed Marnus Labuschagne for 19 with his first ball after the interval.<\/p>\n
Two deliveries later Cameron Green was gone, with Brydon Carse collecting catches at midwicket to dismiss both.<\/p>\n
Inglis and Cummins fell in the final session to Tongue and Carse respectively.<\/p>\n
Players from both teams wore black armbands as a mark of respect to the victims of the Bondi Beach mass shooting.<\/p>\n
A moment of silence was held before the game with security tightened and flags flying at half-mast.<\/p>\n
At the start, Weatherald raced to 18 off 27 balls but his gung-ho approach cost him against the pace of Archer, who fired down a bouncer and induced a top edge to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.<\/p>\n
Head followed next over for 10, with Zak Crawley taking a sensational instinctive catch low to his left off Carse.<\/p>\n
Khawaja, on five, was fortunate to survive when Harry Brook dropped a sitter at second slip and went on to bring up his 28th Test 50 to big cheers.<\/p>\n
Carey had a life on 52 when Carse put down a difficult chance in the covers and the 34-year-old made the most of it before falling when he top-edged Jacks to Smith just before the close.<\/p>\n
– ABC<\/p>\n
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