Adelaide Oval Test sees a hundred of the highest order by Alex Carey as he and Usman Khawaja save Australia’s blushes against England, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer

For several weeks there have been hostile public comments about Khawaja, saying that he has now crossed that line and has no right to stand in the way of young players. The absurdity of these arguments was made clear by how Khawaja batted effectively, spinning, finding the boundary with his pet pull and sweep shots, and defending bravely.

If Khawaja was given a five-over reprieve when Harry Brook lost a chance at slip, it was no more than the Australians expected from a touring team that picked up the odd stunner (Zak Crawley conceded one to dismiss Head) but overall failed to maintain the standard of winning Ashes teams.

Khawaja made a point of going after Will Jacks, who found a buyout rating that would interest Nathan Lyon.

Driven by the heat, Ben Stokes used the jacks more extensively than in Brisbane, eventually leading Khawaja into a mistake. After a sharp charge the ball beat his outside edge, Khawaja went back to the sweep but there was a slight top edge and enough spin to secure a catch in the deep.

This left Carey to step into the spotlight after luckily being delayed by an unsynchronized “Snicko” spike while outsprinting Tongue in ’72. The crowd settled in for what became an annual centennial celebration.

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After Greg Blewett’s maiden century in January 1995, Adelaide had waited more than 20 years for their home game. But following Head’s hat-trick of centuries over the last three seasons, the village green behind the members saw a brief loss of occupancy as spectators thronged to watch Carey soar towards the milestone.

Four years ago, Carey had scored a handy 51 in his first Ashes Test here but it was still a work in progress. Two years ago, he was rocked by some vile threats and abuse from England fans after his legitimate knockout of Jonny Bairstow, and for a while he lost his batting enthusiasm.

But a match-winning 98 in Christchurch earned Carey eligibility for early 2024 and he went to another level for both Australia and South Australia last summer.

His dominant contribution to the first Sheffield Shield win since 1996 made Carey a legend in these parts; he later reckoned with the premature death of his father Gordon from leukemia in September. Carey, a family man and popular teammate, had spent much of match eve wandering around Adelaide Oval with his eldest son Louis.

His wife Eloise wept openly in the crowd as Carey took 98 to 101 with a sweet catch from Stokes and looked longingly at the sky before accepting the crowd’s praise.

Carey said after the game: “To score a hundred goals here in front of the fans and my family was special and I think you know why I’m looking at the sky.” he said. “I’m trying not to tear up, but no, it was great. And mom, [my] Brother, [my] My sister, Eloise, the kids… it was a great moment.

“My father probably played the biggest role in my cricket. [and] He coached me through the entire process, as fathers like to do. [He] He seemed to drop me off when I hit puberty but he’d always text me and say [say]’Put the reverse hatching aside’ and be tough on me. “It was great.”

About a minute after reaching three figures, Carey was serenaded with a loving chant of her name. He didn’t fare well in the AFL ranks as a young man but is now planning a career to transcend a surname more synonymous with football.

It would be the Jacks who found a way past Carey and convinced him to move up in the Orthodox sweep. But Khawaja and Carey had ensured that Australia did not completely squander the batting first. It will now be up to England to show the quality of the Test match. Otherwise the jar will be gone.

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