The Ashes: Carey scores hometown ton to put Australia on command

ADELAIDE: Alex Carey posted a hometown hundred and Usman Khawaja scored 82 after a dramatic, last-minute recall to help Australia reach 326 for eight at stumps on a hot opening day of the third Ashes test.

Paceman Joffra Archer (3-29) took three big wickets, including two in three balls immediately after lunch, and spinner Will Jacks (2-105) dismissed Australia's two leading scorers to give England a slight edge Wednesday in conditions that were ideal for batting.

Carey shared partnerships of 91 with Khawaja, who replaced Steve Smith at late notice, 59 with Josh Inglis, 26 with Pat Cummins and 50 with Mitchell Starc to keep Australia's innings moving at around four runs an over. He was out just before stumps for 106, mistiming a slower ball from Jacks.

Mitchell Starc, voted player of the match in the first and second tests, continued his impressive form against England and was unbeaten on 33 at stumps.

The temperature topped 35 Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday and is forecast to get close to 40C (104F) on Day 2, which could make conditions tough on the bowling team.

The crowd of 56,298, a record for a test match at the Adelaide Oval, helped Carey thrive.

“A decent day's cricket. The crowd — 56,000 in Adelaide — it's pretty special,” Carey said. “To make a hundred here in front of home fans and family, it was a great moment.”

Smith sidelined

Smith led Australia to eight-wicket wins in Perth and Brisbane in the absence of Cummins. He hit the winning runs in Brisbane as Australia took a 2-0 lead in the five-match series, leaving England needing a victory in Adelaide to have any chance of reclaiming the Ashes.

But Smith didn't recover in time from dizziness and nausea to start the third test, allowing Khawaja to return to the lineup on the eve of his 39th birthday.

Brief Scores: Australia: 326/8 in 83 overs (Alex Carey 106, Usman Khawaja 82, Jofra Archer 3/29) vs England