Alex Carey hit a crucial century to rescue Australia from a “sticky situation” on a dramatic opening day of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide on Wednesday.
The hosts, 2-0 up in the five-match series, suffered a blow before a ball had been bowled when batter Steve Smith was ruled out due to illness and Usman Khawaja parachuted in at the last moment.
And Khawaja, who came in at four after being overlooked as opener in favour of Travis Head and Jake Weatherald, produced a gritty knock of 82 in a vital partnership with Carey.
Carey's 106 off 143 balls hauled Australia out of trouble, coming to the crease at 94-4 with Jofra Archer having just dismissed Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green in the first three balls of the afternoon session.
He led stands of 91 with Khawaja, 59 with Josh Inglis and 50 with Mitchell Starc, to halt the English charge and get the hosts back on track as they target an unassailable series lead.
“Really a little bit of a sticky situation there straight after lunch,” Carey said. “So to form a partnership with Uzzie [Khawaja], and I guess keep us in the mix [was special].
“Would love to have scored more runs and be there a bit longer. But to be able to take the helmet off and look up to the heavens, it was a really nice moment.”
They reached 326-8 at stumps after winning the toss on a pitch that promised big runs. Archer was the standout England bowler taking 3-29 but it was Carey's 106 that secured the headlines.
The wicketkeeper survived a big shout for caught behind on 72, uncertainty over the 'Snickometer' technology clouding the decision, but was otherwise resolute.
“I thought there was a feather or some sort of noise when it passed the bat,” admitted Carey, who was eventually out trying to slog-sweep the spin of Will Jacks, sending a top-edge soaring.
“If I was given out I think I would have reviewed it, probably not confidently. It was a nice sound as it passed the bat.
“Snicko obviously didn't line up. It is just the way cricket goes – sometimes you have a bit of luck. Maybe it went my way.”
England bowling coach David Saker said the tourists were hard done by. “The boys are pretty confident he hit it,” Saker told reporters. “Those decisions hurt.”
BBG Sports, the company that owns Snicko, has accepted culpability for the mistake.
"Given that Alex Carey admitted he had hit the ball in question, the only conclusion that can be drawn from this, is that the Snicko operator at the time must have selected the incorrect stump mic for audio processing," BBG told BBC Sport. "In light of this, BBG Sports takes full responsibility for the error."
The 34-year-old, who produced a wicketkeeping masterclass during the second Test at Brisbane, showed his prowess with the bat securing his third Test century and first in an Ashes series.
Carey punched the air and looked to the heavens when he reached the milestone as his wife Eloise sobbed in the stands.
It was the first time Carey had reached three figures since his father Gordon died after a battle with leukaemia in September and he called it a “special moment”.
“Probably won't go into too much depth thinking through the reasons why, I'll probably get emotional, but yeah, it was great,” he said.
“Dad played the biggest role probably in my cricket, coached me all the way through as dads want to do,” he added.
“Sort of let me go once I got into my older teenage years, but would always shoot a message and [say] put the reverse sweep away and keep hard on me.”
Before play there was a minute's silence in honour of the victims of the Bondi terror attack, followed by an emotive performance of '80s anthem True Blue by folk singer John Williamson, with both sides standing together in solidarity.
Yet again, England had moments of ascendancy but were unable to take their chances.
Khawaja was the chief beneficiary, being dropped on three by Harry Brook at second slip with a thick edge off the bowling of recalled paceman Josh Tongue.
A diving Brydon Carse put down a tougher chance to remove Carey for 52 when he smashed Archer into the covers.
Both Australia's openers Head (10) and Weatherald (18) fell cheaply in a six-ball burst before the first drinks break. A driving Head was caught off seamer Carse, with Zak Crawley diving to his left at short cover to pluck a brilliant one-hander above the grass.
Weatherald fell trying to pull a sizzling Archer bouncer only to gift an easy catch behind the wicket.
Khawaja and Labuschagne steered Australia to 94-2 at lunch but Labuschagne and new batter Green threw away their wickets in three balls after the break. Carse caught both at midwicket off the bowling of Archer in near-identical dismissals.
