UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Alex Carey’s brilliant Ashes century steadied Australia after early England breakthroughs, battling extreme heat to regain control in the Test match.
Additionally, it was quite hot outside, 35 degrees Celsius and Ben Stokes and his struggling England players might have melted when the toss went against them.
Instead, the visitors continued to put up the fight that Stokes demanded at a 2-0 deficit despite some carelessness and Alex Carey’s incredible century on the ground he called home. Australia was 326 for eight from 83 exhausting overs at stumps.
While there were runs on the heritage-listed scoreboard, they lacked ambition when the returning Pat Cummins was selected first.
The absence of an offensive leader has been identified as one of the factors contributing to England’s shaky position in this Ashes series, yet one emerged in this instance. Jofra Archer, who averaged 88 mph on the speed gun, gave Stokes valuable control, and was a constant threat to Australia, responded forcefully to some of the criticism this past week with figures of three for 29 from 16 overs.
But the hosts were generous. After lunch, Archer dismissed Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green in his first three balls with a few mild slices to midwicket after bouncing out Jake Weatherald first thing. Less than a day after squandering a £2.06 million (A$3 million) contract to play in the Indian Premier League, Green’s duck was also a jolt back to earth.
When Carey drove Stokes through the covers for three at 4:48 p.m., the fans erupted in a shout, capping an otherwise wonderful day. His counterattacking 106 from 143 ensured that the early afternoon wobble to 94 for four was not a full-blown crisis, especially following that masterful performance with the gloves at the Gabba. These days, the 34-year-old is a serious cricket player.
When Carey feathered behind Josh Tongue on 72, England believed they had removed him, but it was declared not out. Stokes reviewed, but the third umpire upheld the on-field ruling because Snicko displayed a spike prior to any potential impact. Afterwards, Carey acknowledged that he most likely got BBG and some bats on it.
On his first day of playing Test cricket abroad, Josh Inglis was bowled by Tongue with a weak defensive shot on 32 after tea. However, he and Brydon Carse fell short of Archer’s brilliance after a few encouraging performances. Carse was especially bad with the new ball right away, overstepping five times and being flattered by a brilliant one-handed catch from Zak Crawley at cover that removed Travis Head for ten. Carse claimed two for seventy from thirteen.
Even though he wasn’t intended to be playing at all, his wicket brought in another outstanding batsman for Australia that day. Prior to the show, John Williamson gave a moving performance of True Blue as part of the heartfelt tributes to the victims of the Bondi terrorist assault.
Khawaja scored a sophisticated 82 from 126 balls, flicking and steering 10 fours along the way, just one day shy of turning 39 and with many speculating that his exclusion from the XI would mark the end of his international career. The left-hander’s soothing experience anchored stands of 61 with Labuschagne and then 91 with Carey after he was dismissed at 33 for two in the tenth over.
Nevertheless, Harry Brook’s stunning catch at second slip should have eliminated Khawaja on five for England. Given the batter-friendly circumstances, that was a bad miss. When seamers got the proper length, the bounce of the first two Tests vanished, leaving only a little nibble. It was evident right away that there would be fewer opportunities to fly to the cordon throughout this match.
Will Jacks had some grip to work with, and the all-rounder was able to get rid of Khawaja and Carey despite figures of two for 105 from 20 overs highlighting the struggle for control of his length. However, Nathan Lyon’s return to Australia’s assault will only have been aided by the misbehaving balls, and England’s left-handers will probably face difficulties.
They might be able to learn from Carey, the wicketkeeper who utilized the slog sweep effectively, defended with confidence, and put the odd one that beat him out of his mind. Naturally, this is the South Australian’s backyard, and more generally, he demonstrated the need of focusing on the shorter square bounds by cutting and driving with laser-like accuracy.
Mitchell Starc, who put up 50 for the ninth wicket and was undefeated on 33 at stumps after Carse removed Cummins for 13 in the evening session, also provided Carey with some crucial support. Although the atmosphere of this third Test at Australia’s most alluring venue may differ from that of the previous two, Starc’s role as a barrier to England’s advancement is nevertheless a recurring theme.
Did Carey’s hundred affect Australia’s declaration strategy later?
Alex Carey’s century on day one didn’t directly impact a protestation strategy, as the third Ashes Test at Adelaide Oval remained in its first innings with Australia closing at 326- 8 by wholes on December 17, 2025, no protestation passed.
Carey’s 106 saved Australia from 94- 4, forming crucial runs that pushed the total competitive despite England’s eight lattices. Captain Pat Cummins decided to club on late with Mitchell Starc( 33 *) unbeaten, prioritizing session earnings over early protestation amid a flat pitch and cast heat.
A substantial first- innings lead from Carey’s platform could prompt aggressive protestation latterly if Australia reach 450- 500 snappily, obliging England’s chase under Ben Stokes. Still, no similar move happened yet, with play continuing Thursday.
