The Ashes returns today as Australia edge ever closer to retaining the urn. Successive victories, achieved without the likes of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have put them on the brink of another comfortable home series win.
For England, it is a familiar story Down Under. However, they now find themselves with nothing to lose — and under those circumstances, Bazball could yet prove dangerous.
Australia vs England XI's — Pat Cummins returns!
(Image credit: Mark Brake/Getty Images)
Australia XI: Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Pat Cummins (captain), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland.
England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith, Will Jacks, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue.
Broadcast has started now!
Coverage of the Ashes has now started!
Tune in to 7Plus to stream every moment of this next chapter of the Ashes as an Aussie resident for free. All you need is an account with a local postcode.
Not based in Australia? No worries! You can use NordVPN to unlock test three of Australia vs England.
Breaking: Steve Smith won't play the third test
The acting captain won't be featuring in the third test!
It seems like there's no space for more than one captain of Australia - albeit acting too - on the green. No sooner has Pat Cummins been ruled in for Adelaide after sitting out the first two tests than Steve Smith has been ruled out.
Smith has been unwell this week, having ducked out of some training, but this is another set back for the Australian team who have been beset with notable absences.
The toss: Pat opts to bat!
Australia have won the coin toss, for the first time after England had won the last two tosses.
Batting has been the popular choice for the winner of the toss and Pat Cummins is no different who favours the conditions of the Adelaide sun.
Will this prove to be Australia's undoing or another wise choice from the team with two tests under their belt?
The pre-match ceremony begins
Proceedings are about to get going as the Ashes urn is brought onto the green.
Get ready for the national anthems, welcome to country and a tribute to the horrific shooting at Bondi Beach which Australia is still reeling from.
A scorcher in SA!
Adelaide, South Australia is the site of test three and it's gonna be a hot one!
Currently 35 degrees, and it's just the morning, it's going to reach over 40 in the next few days.
Will the Aussies ability to play in these scorching temperatures be an advantage?
The first ball is bowled!
Jofra Archer throws the first ball to Travis Head...and it goes right past him to the wicket keeper.
0-0.
The first FOUR!
Weatherald scores a four!
After a close pursuit of the ball, which glides effortlessly past all the fielders who try and stop it before the boundary, the Aussies score the first four at Adelaide Oval.
0-7.
Carse is shaky, Weatherald is soaring
English bowler Carse is off to a shaky start bowling in territory that is unfamiliar to him, both location wise and in terms of what he's been asked to it.
On the other extreme, Aussie batter Weatherald is soaring so far with two fours under his belt. Very early days but with a lot of pressure on England, will they be able to deliver at least one test victory?
0-25.
Another four!
Make that three fours for Weatherald.
Carse and Archer's bowling under scrutiny.
The England bowling duo are being slated by the pundits.
Calling it a 'batter's dream', the Aussies are running circles around them and they'll need to step it up to stand a chance.
Atkinson being left out of this line up is a bold choice, to put it politely, but maybe it's a long term strategy.
0-33.
The first wicket!
Archer bowls to Weatherald and it comes off his bat...straight into the hands of Smith.
A well needed misstep that was pounced upon by the England team who probably can't believe their luck after a very strong innings from Weatherald.
1-33.
And another!
England seem to have woken up now.
Claiming another wicket minutes after their first, maybe they've found their stride.
Head tried to bat into space but Carse performs a beautiful dive and manages to get a hand to it, safely before it touches the ground.
Dismissing Travis Head - who has scored Australia's only century this Ashes - means that the Head/Weatherald duo who opened are now out.
2-33.
England try and seize the momentum
England celebrates two successive wickets (Image credit: Getty Images)
While England should celebrate their wickets, they should also not rest on their laurels too much.
Things certainly look set for an action-packed day if this is anything to go by but it's only going to get hotter which may see a sluggish pace develop on both sides.
2-37.
Brook misses a catch!
Harry Brook sees what should have been a fairly easy catch slip by his fingers.
He'll be gutted.
Flashbacks to Brisbane where England missed a lot of catches but England are still looking for their third wicket in Adelaide.
2-52.
Potential LBW?
Labuschagne had a lucky escape after Stokes bowls a screamer into his leg.
The umpire wasn't giving it the time of day and after a think the England team don't risk a review.
2-62.
The final stand for England?
If England lose Adelaide it will be a disheartening last two tests.
If England win Adelaide this could be an incredibly tense next test at Melbourne.
While it's absolutely true that Adelaide could be England's last stand, when it comes to being in with a chance of winning the Ashes that is, this could also help them play with more passion.
2-82.
Break for lunch
The drama comes to a slow finish as the players head for lunch.
Neither side will be particularly happy with their performances today. Head and Weatherald started off as a promising duo with a lot of potential but fell relatively early.
England had a flurry of wickets in the span of under 10 minutes but had a sloppy start with their bowling and have failed to pick up the pace since.
It certainly doesn't look like this will wrap up in two days like it did Perth.
We'll see you again after lunch.
2-94.
Will this batting duo go the full way?
The next batting duo (Image credit: Getty Images)
Khawaja and Labuschagne will surely see the Aussie team over 100 runs unless England bring it in the first few minutes after lunch, but how far can they go?
These two batters are looking strong but they'll need to be resilient to see Australia get a substantial number on the scoreboard.
It's early days so let's check in as the first ball after lunch is about to be played.
2-94.
We're back from lunch...and a wicket already!
The first ball has been played, and it's landed perfectly for England!
Archer shows why he's one of England's strongest as he bowls Labuschagne out in the first ball after lunch.
What a start from England, let's see how that affects this afternoon under the scorching Adelaide sun...
3-94.
Another wicket!
What did the England team have for lunch? Whatever it was it's worked wonders!
Carse performs a lovely dive for the ball as it comes off Green's bat. A big ol' duck.
Archer is on fire.
4-94.
England do things in twos
England have a reason to be cheerful (Image credit: Getty Images)
What do the England team's wickets and the animals of Noah's Ark have in common? They come in twos.
Laboured comparison aside, the English side seem to love claiming back to back wickets in flurries of five minutes.
Some outstanding work from Archer and great work from the fielders too. You can tell they're terrified of dropping anything after a very butterfingered performance in Brisbane.
4-106.
Usman Khawaja closes in on 50 runs
Usman Khawaja has been playing a very solid game for Australia so far and closing in on half a century is proof of this.
If he keeps this up England may struggle to find their momentum again now that the adrenalin from the post-lunch wickets has died down.
4-120.
18 Fours!
Australia have been smashing it (literally) when it comes to securing fours.
They're just shy of 20 fours and Khawaja has been a big part of that. Indeed his partnership with Carey has been fruitful with 48 runs between them.
No sixes yet but the day is young...
4-142.
Post-drinks break
As both teams come back after a quick drinks break, it's worth reflecting that compared to how England have been playing this is a strong start.
Whether they can keep it up or this will be the extent of their wickets today is the question on everyone's lips.
4-148.
Khawaja looks dangerous
As he passes 70 runs, Khawaja might be Australia's superstar today.
Could he join Travis Head and Joe Root in the century club? If the pattern continues - Australia score a century in test one and then England score a century in test two - then it's his turn in test three for Australia again!
England are scratching their heads on how to get this stable presence out..
The iconic Adelaide scoreboard
The iconic Adelaide scoreboard (Image credit: Getty Images)
You'll hear a lot of people bang out about Adelaide Oval's scoreboard but what's so special about it?
Well, for one it's been around for over 100 years and in the words of the Adelaide tourist website it's "an excellent example of an architect's solution to a potentially mundane commission."
Considered one of the highlights of Adelaide, and put on a similar level of prestige in cricket circles as the Melbourne Cricket Ground itself, this is a staple of the Ashes now and probably for the next century.
Stokes goes for an ambitious appeal
Stokes gives perhaps the most enthusiastic appeal to the umpire after what he thought may be an lbw...to no success.
The umpire clearly doesn't think there's anything in it but you can't blame the England captain for trying. They desperately want to break up this Aussie duo.
Will the tide turn soon?
4-180.
A picture from earlier...
Stokes misses a catch (Image credit: Getty Images)
You can almost hear Stokes' heart break in this photo from earlier.
Khawaja out!
After securing 82 runs, Khawaja is denied a century by a decent catch from Tongue. It would have been a bigger headline if he's not caught it to be fair.
On comes Inglis to replace the big man.
5-185.
Time for tea
Tea break time.
Join us after to see who will be the victors of day one...
Back from tea
And we’re back from tea break.
Can England perform another post-break double wicket like after lunch?
We shall see.
5-194.
200 for Australia, 50 for Carey
Well, Australia have surpassed 200 but you suspect they won’t be happy with the amount of wickets it cost them.
Carey also achieves a half century, it feels a bit less certain that he’ll get the other half with the way Australia have been inconsistently batting.
5-203.
A slower pace
Both sides seem a bit apprehensive, neither wanting to make a mistake.
5-212.
Slowwwiiiinnnggg right down
If you’re waking up now in the UK, maybe grab another few hours sleep.
It feels like the tea break pep talks liked punch from both sides of this is the result.
5-231.
Australia are tongue-tied!
A sixth wicket for England!
Josh Tongue replaces Jofra Archer and this was the perfect change for the team.
Inglis got tangled and the ball whacks the wickets, and Australia now look scared.
The only saving grace is Pat Cummins has stepped into the space for the first time this Ashes. Will this be a homecoming or embarrassment?
6-245.
Carey’s great escape
It looked like Carey was out there and even Carey looked like he was ready to pack his bags.
However, he was spared by the umpires who deemed that not out.
250-6.
The first six!
It had to happen soon with all this great batting, but finally Australia got the six they were looking for!
6-262.
Lucky seven!
Carse has removed Cummins from the field!
After a lengthy review where the umpires reviewed it, the results came back…and the Aussie captain is off.
Number seven comes pretty soon after number six - England love doing things in two, I told ya.
7-271.
Carey approaches 100
I spoke too soon, we could still see a century today.
Carey is rapidly approaching this milestone and his new duo buddy Starc may be the key to unlocking it.
Stay tuned.
7-289.
Stokes hunting for wickets
Stokes looking for wickets where he can (Image credit: Getty Images)
Stokes has been remarkably unremarkable so far.
That's not to say he's been by any means poor but neither has he managed to claim a single wicket so far.
As Australia hit 300 runs you can sense Stokes looking for wickets where he can.
7-300.
Carey celebrates a century
Carey celebrates a century (Image credit: Getty Images)
Fist pumping his way to a century, Carey achieves the ultimate milestone.
It looked touch and go at times if he was going to make it but he's done it. Well done, Carey,
7-308.
Smith makes a dive...but is nowhere near
Hats off to Smith for a valiant dive in pursuit of the ball but is pretty far away.
Desperation?
England could theoretically claim all Australia's wickets but they haven't got long to go before the conclusion of day one.
Tick tock.
7-316.
A welcome eighth wicket!
England breathe a sigh of relief as they finally take another wicket after a drought.
It was a pretty easy catch after a ball goes too high from Carey and is caught by Smith.
Off goes Carey, the man of the match today, with 106 runs to show for it.
8-321.
Carey feels the love from the crowd
Carey receives a hero's exit (Image credit: Getty Images)
A century and a bit definitely ain't too shabby, and the Aussies show him how they feel as Carey exits the field.
While it probably wasn't quite the innings they hoped it would be, you can't fault Australia's Carey for his stellar work out there today.
Head. Root. And now Carey. Welcome to the century club this tournament.
8-322.
Time's running out...for both sides
As we approach the end, both teams have a sense of wanting to finish on a high.
Whether that's claiming a wicket or hitting a six, you get the sense that either team would like a big milestone to end on.
8-322.
How to keep watching for tomorrow and onwards
Another reminder on all you need to know for watching every second of the Ashes...
If you're based in Australia, tune in to 7Plus and stream every moment of this Ashes for free. All you need is an account with a local postcode.
Not based in Australia? No worries! You can use NordVPN to unlock test three of Australia vs England.
You're welcome.
End of day one!
That's a wrap on test three day one!
A mixed bag for both teams but England will be happy with eight wickets and Australia will be happy with a century from Carey.
Thrilling at times, a bit looooong at other times.
8-326.
Thanks for following!
Some love shared on the England side (Image credit: Getty Images)
Well, once again thanks for keeping tuned as I try to offer some insightful - and sometimes (hopefully) witty -commentary on day one of test three.
Make sure you tune in tomorrow, I'm Dan and thanks for reading!
