Australian limited overs wicket keeper batsman, Alex Carey has a desire to be good enough to wear the Baggy green. Carey, who is spending time with his family amidst the lockdown in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, is very happy to represent his country in the limited overs cricket.
However, he feels that his white-ball assignments may hamper his hopes of playing Test Cricket for the island nation.
“If I play cricket for Australia just with the white ball I’m a very happy man. It’s been a couple of enjoyable seasons for me playing for Australia in the T20s and one-dayers. I continue, hopefully, to learn and be good enough, one day, to learn and earn a Test cap” the keeper said in a video released by Cricket Australia.
Praise by Gilchrist
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Legendary Australian wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist in December said that Carey is ‘nipping at the heals’ of the red ball captain Tim Paine. He had added he was very impressed by Carey’s skills behind the stumps and also by his batting skills.
But Carey knows the reality and is thinking practically of the situation.
“I’ve played maybe six to eight first-class games in the last two summers. It isn’t a lot of cricket but the positive for me is that in those limited opportunities I’ve done really well… scored a few hundreds back to back there,” added the South Australian who is Australia’s first choice behind the stumps in the shorter formats of the game.
Impressive Domestic and International Performance
Carey was impressive in the Sheffield Shield 2019-20 with 386 runs in 7 innings at an average of 55.14. He also scored 2 centuries and a half-century while plying his trade for South Australia. Among wicket-keepers who are under 30, only Daniel Solway of New South Wales and Ben McDermott of Tasmania scored more runs than Carey in this season of Sheffield Shield.
Carey has scored 1924 runs in first-class cricket at an average of 33.75 with 10 half-centuries and 4 centuries but his experience in limited-overs cricket may give him an edge over the other domestic keepers in the race. Carey has scored 884 runs at an average of 34 in ODIs for Australia.
Age Is On Carey’s Side
As Tim Paine and Mathew Wade are well into their 30s, Carey has a chance of playing test cricket for his country in a couple of years.
“I’m learning about my game every time I go out and play cricket, whether it’s with the red ball or the white ball, As a cricketer, I’m 28 now, I’m learning a lot about myself and as you do you mature into your body, you start to work out what you can do out on the field, so with the limited opportunities it’s been a little difficult just not knowing, or going straight back to red ball from a white-ball tour but that’s the way it is now”
Alex Carey
Hopefully, Alex Carey will continue to improve upon his record in the Sheffield Shield, maintain his fitness and cease the opportunity whenever it becomes available in the Australian Test team.
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