Ashes 2025-26 | Live Blog: England vs Australia, third Test, Adelaide

Add another to the list of soft dismissals today. This was fraction short outside off and Carey thought of swiping it away. Ends up in a top edge that balloons next to the pitch and the keeper is quick to shuffle across and complete the job. Carey walks back to a standing ovation from the spectators. Jacks with his second wicket of the innings and he’s absolutely delighted.

Admirable how Alex Carey has evolved into one of the most valuable players in the Australian Test side. Taking games away from opponents with the help of lower-middle order. The keeper-bat has notched up a magnificent hundred under pressure, arriving in the middle at a taxing moment after Australia lost a couple of wickets in a jiffy. Calm yet assertive, he threw punches with great gusto to wrest momentum back in the hosts’ favour.

Carey marshals on, into the 80s, thriving on Jacks’ profligate bowling. Flighted delivery, Carey produces an encore of the slog-sweep to dispatch the ball over cow corner. That’s come right off the screws.

Safe shot. No deep mid-wicket and it’s tossed up full outside off from Will Jacks, Josh Inglis gets low and slog-sweeps in that direction. 77 runs off his 13 overs already. The next over, Archer has cranked up the pace as Barmy Army tries to lift England’s spirits. What a terrific bunch they are! One of the best travelling support groups in the cricket world.

Lethargic effort from Archer at mid-on, he dives to his left and attempts to intercept the ball with his left hand, misses and it runs away. Tossed up full on the stumps, Carey gets forward to drive and times it well, still the pacer should have cut that off.

Khawaja perishes to the sweep. He has thrown away a potential century in easy conditions for batting. A wicket against the run of play, the resurgent veteran walks off acknowledging the applause from the Adelaide Oval for his 82 off 126 balls.

He nailed the slog-sweep but it’s a flat chance, Tongue fares well at deep mid-wicket, sliding forward to grasp it. The partnership is broken with just 10 minutes left for Tea. Jacks fist-pumps to celebrate the breakthrough.

Beautiful cut shot. A short of length delivery outside off, the well-set Khawaja leans back and cuts wide of backward point, the ball races away to the point fence. On the other end, Carey is approaching his fifty.

Two noises and hence England don’t review. Thick inside-edge and Stokes knows it. A short of length delivery on off, nips back in a touch, Khawaja goes on the back-foot to defend, the ricochet hits the pad and rolls away to the gully region. He is in the 70s now and a fine comeback ton is on the horizon.

Time for some rehydration. The wicket is playing nicely, no demons whatsoever as Khawaja and Carey coast. England have experimented with the short ball ploy and put in place funky fields but it has not worked yet against this left-handed duo. Spinner Will Jacks is back into the attack.

Grabbing his opportunity with both hands after Smith fell ill, Khawaja has raised a half-century. A couple of boundaries in the immediate afterglow of crossing the landmark as Tongue concedes runs on both sides of the wicket. Having suffered a wobble post Lunch, Australia would hope the experienced campaigner can carry on with the fightback.

Carey gets forward and punches the ball wide of the dive of cover, long chase for Stokes from mid-off, he slides and unfortunately makes contact with the advertising toblerones as he pulls it back, so it will be adjudged four.

Double whammy from the express quick on the other side of the break as Labuschagne and Green depart in short order. The crowd who just must have had a hearty lunch are woken up from their slumber. Either of the dismissals were soft in nature as Labuschagne fell to a short-arm jab and Green couldn’t keep a flick down.

Khawaja and Labuschagne have settled in and begun to look confident at the crease. The pitch appears conducive for batting, offering little in the way of serious difficulty, and with this alliance starting to bloom, Australia are well placed to establish a strong first-innings total. England will be hoping the dropped chance of Khawaja doesn’t prove too costly.

Be it pace or spin, Khawaja is reeling off the boundaries. The fifty partnership between the southpaw and Marnus Labuschagne is up, and the accomplishment of the milestone is marked by another four, behind square on the leg side.

Grassed! Could have been the third wicket of the session. Khawaja chases the drive by playing away from his body and the outside edge flies towards Harry Brook at second slip. He reacts towards his left side, but fails to hold onto the catch. Was in a decent position to take it, but probably lost his balance in the process.

Denied a wicket, Tongue has consistently hit a lively pace throughout, constantly asking questions of the batters. One of his deliveries even touched 148 kph, exhibiting the sharpness he has brought to the English attack.

Carse leaked five boundaries and overstepped thrice in his first three overs while Archer kept things tight. The latter provided the breakthrough by taking Weatherald aback with a short-pitched delivery and then Carse sent Head back thanks to an exceptional catch from Crawley. Both the local lads have returned to the hut and the two Queensland batters are out in the middle. Can Khawaja make it count at four in lynchpin Smith’s absence?

Sharp catch and Australia have lost their openers in quick succession! Full delivery outside off, Head is drawn forward into a drive and he may have been a tad early into the stroke. The bottom hand comes off the handle. The ball was dying on the fielder but Crawley shows great agility at short cover-point. Dives to his left and pouches a superb low catch with his left hand inches above the turf.

In the air and taken! 147.2kph, dinged in short by Archer, keeps coming in with the angle towards Weatherald at good pace. It’s just below shoulder height and he can’t budge into a good position as the ball rushes him into submission. Plays the pull shot half-heartedly and it lobs up in the air off the top-edge.

The left-right combination has picked up a boundary each as Australia kick things off well. Three slips and a gully as Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse continued from round the wicket.