Of Swerves and Second Chances in Adelaide

At 11.15 am on Tuesday, Alex Carey walked to the nets at Adelaide Oval with his son Louis. He had the seven-year-old watch Jhye Richardson bowl to Marnus Labuschagne. Louis was impressed. Shortly after, the Careys left for a day of home Test indulgences: the pool and Mexican takeaway.

Around the same time, Usman Khawaja was concluding a 40-minute net session, mainly facing throwdowns with an ageing ball. He shared a fist bump with coach Andrew McDonald and a brief chat with selector Tony Dodemaide. Not long after, Pat Cummins officially ruled Khawaja out of the third Test while naming the original XI.

Just over 24 hours later, Khawaja joined Carey in the middle. Australia had just lost two quick wickets to Jofra Archer after lunch. England, having lost the toss on a steamy day, found themselves on top despite Australia choosing to bat first on a friendly pitch.

Trailing 0-2, England faced a day where the heat could have wilted their comeback hopes. Instead, Ben Stokes and his team stayed in the contest, and thereby in the series.

The day’s action was full of twists. Khawaja, somehow back in the Test team, received a massive reprieve early. Harry Brook dropped a straightforward chance at second slip off Josh Tongue.

It was a dramatic turning point. Had Steve Smith not struggled with a vertigo recurrence, Khawaja’s Test career might have hung in the balance. Instead, he received a late SOS to bat at No. 4. He seized the chance, especially after surviving that error on 5 off 27 balls.

He capped it with an aggressive 82, saving Australia’s blushes and showing glimpses of the Khawaja of old—the one who made a heroic return four years ago at the SCG. He played with abandon, scything balls through point and pulling boundaries, before finally succumbing to a sweep off Will Jacks.

It was a surprise we were denied another "only Khawaja could have scripted it" century.

Instead, it was hometown hero Carey who raised his bat, scripting the most glittering—and emotional—chapter of his Test career. As over 50,000 Adelaide faithful roared 'Car-eyyy,' the wicket-keeper pointed his bat to the heavens, paying tribute to his late father Gordon, who passed away in September.

It was a classic Carey innings: counterattacking, energetic, and busy. He took on the bowlers and maintained the tempo while others came and went. After living in Travis Head’s shadow in home Tests, this was Carey’s moment to shine.

Though Carey reached three figures, he fell to a false stroke off Jacks, just as he looked set for more with Mitchell Starc providing support.

England finished the day on parity, considering the forecast for extreme heat on Thursday. Their task: take the last two wickets and produce their best batting of the series on the most favourable surface yet. This day could either seal the Ashes for Australia or launch England’s dramatic comeback—much like Khawaja somehow walking out to bat at No. 4 on Wednesday.