Alex Carey put Australia in command on the opening day of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide. After the hosts slipped to 94 for four, Carey and Usman Khawaja rebuilt the innings with a crucial fifth-wicket stand. Carey went on to score 106, and after reaching his third Test century, he looked skyward in memory of his late father, Gordon.

The moment was deeply personal for Carey, who remembered his father, who passed away in September following a battle with leukaemia. His century also pushed him past Steve Smith’s 618 runs to become Australia’s highest Test run scorer this year, placing him sixth globally in the format.

Carey’s century included a moment of controversy after he survived a chance. He went after the first ball of Josh Tongue’s 63rd over, leading to loud appeals and celebrations from Jamie Smith and a nearby fielder. However, umpire Ahsan Raza ruled in Carey’s favour, prompting England to seek a review straight away.

Although a spike appeared on the snickometer, it was detected a few frames before the ball went past the bat. Third umpire Chris Gaffaney noted that the sound occurred too early and confirmed the ball “gone well under” the bat: “There’s a clear gap, no spike.”

Carey spoke about the controversy. “I felt there might have been a slight nick or some kind of sound as the ball went past the bat. On the replay, it did look a bit strange, especially with the noise happening early. If I had been given out, I probably would have gone for a review, though not with complete certainty. There was definitely a noticeable sound as the ball passed,” he said.

“Snicko clearly didn’t match up, and that’s just how the game works at times. You get the odd bit of fortune, and today it happened to be in my favour,” Carey added.