Adelaide, Dec 17 (NationPress) Australian cricketer Alex Carey paid tribute to his deceased father and family as he led the home side to a commanding score of 326/8 against England at the conclusion of the first day of the third Test at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday.

After a rocky beginning, with Australia finding themselves at 94/4 shortly after lunch, Carey, alongside the late addition of Usman Khawaja, forged a crucial partnership, adding 91 runs for the fifth wicket to stabilize the innings. Carey achieved a score of 106 runs off 143 balls. The South Australian, whose father Gordon passed away in September following a lengthy battle with cancer, looked upwards after scoring his third Test century.

"You can understand the emotions behind this – I'm feeling quite emotional right now," Carey shared with reporters. "It was certainly a fantastic experience to score a century on home soil."

"My family and friends were present... they must have felt proud. They enjoy coming to watch me play cricket. My children, Eloise, along with my mother and nieces, were here – it would have been a lovely moment for them."

"We faced a challenging situation right after lunch. So forming a partnership with Uzzie and keeping ourselves in contention was fantastic."

"I wished to score more runs and stay at the crease longer. But being able to remove my helmet and look up towards the heavens was a very special moment."

Steve Smith was unavailable for the third Test due to a potential vestibular issue. His sudden absence allowed veteran batter Usman Khawaja to return to Australia's lineup, having missed the initial two Tests due to a back spasm.

Despite the wickets falling from the opposite end, Carey remained steadfast, securing his third Test century – his first in front of a home crowd.

This milestone was particularly meaningful for Carey, who honored his late father, who succumbed to leukemia in September. The 34-year-old became Australia’s top run-scorer in Tests this year, surpassing Smith's 618 runs and ranking sixth globally for runs in the format for the year.

Nonetheless, the century was not without controversy. Carey evaded an early dismissal when he edged the first ball of the 63rd over from Josh Tongue. Wicketkeeper Jamie Smith and the fielder appealed and celebrated for a caught behind, but the standing umpire Ahsan Raza dismissed the appeal, leading to an immediate review by England.

While the snickometer indicated a spike, it appeared two to three frames before the ball reached the bat, leading TV umpire Chris Gaffaney to conclude that the spike was "before the bat" and that the ball seemed to have "gone well under" the bat: "There’s a clear gap, no spike."

"I thought I heard a slight noise as it passed the bat. The replay did look a bit odd, with the noise coming early. If I were given out, I think I would have reviewed it – not very confidently, though. The sound as it went past the bat was nice," Carey reflected.

England's bowling coach David Saker expressed disappointment over the technological decisions during the match, stating that the dressing room remained frustrated with the incident.

"The players were quite sure he hit it," Saker mentioned at the day’s conclusion. "I believe the calibration of the snickometer has been off for a while, which has likely been an issue throughout the series. Some decisions have not aligned properly."

"At that moment, it was a critical decision. Incidents like these sting, but one must move past them. In today’s world, we expect technology to be more reliable in such situations."

Saker also disclosed that England plans to bring the matter to the attention of match referee Jeff Crowe regarding the incident.

"We haven’t taken action yet, but after today, we might escalate this. Concerns have been raised throughout the entire series. We shouldn’t be discussing this after a day’s play; it should be more reliable than this. It is what it is."