Alex Carey has been among the most consistent batters in the Australian side.
A familiar tale followed during the second West Indies and Australia fixture when Alex Carey came to the rescue again for the visiting side in Grenada. He again played a quickfire knock to revive Australia from a precarious situation and take them to a fighting first-innings total when they looked set to go down quickly after losing the top-order early on Day 1.
When he came to the crease, Australia were 110/5 and desperately required a partnership against a fiery West Indies pace attack to avoid bundling on a low score. Carey played a counter-attacking knock of 63 runs in just 81 balls, including ten boundaries and a maximum, at a strike rate of 77.78 while batting at No.7.
PAL
154/8
MPS
128/10
HS
21/2
MDS
145/8
HS
–
PAL
–
MDS
–
MPS
–
SL
–
BAN
–
BSAS
98/3
CCYMT
96/3
BSCU All Stars beat CC Yullis-MU Trakia by 7 wickets
BMP
127/3
CCYMT
125/3
BSCU – MU Plovdiv beat CC Yullis-MU Trakia by 7 wickets
BMP
123/3
BSP
127/2
BCC Spartan beat BSCU – MU Plovdiv by 8 wickets
BSP
80/0
BSAS
–
CCYMT
–
BSAS
–
CCYMT
–
SOST
–
MAR
–
CCYMT
–
MAR
–
BSAS
–
SOST
–
BMP
–
BMP
–
MAR
–
NED
–
JER
–
GUE
–
ITA
–
ENGU19
–
INDU19
–
ENG-W
–
IND-W
–
SIN-W
–
INA-W
–
PCR
–
LEX
–
STCC
–
BNC
–
THUO
96/10
MR
99/2
Malaysia Reds beat Thunderstorm Outlanders by 8 wickets
THUO
–
MB
–
MR
–
THUO
–
SFU
–
TSKS
–
WAF
–
SOR
–
MINY
–
LAKR
–
SOR
–
TSKS
–
ENGA-W
–
NZA-W
–
GER
–
ML
–
TAN
–
BHN
–
AUS A
332/4
SL-A
134/10
Australia A beat Sri Lanka A by 198 runs
WTS
–
BMB
–
IYH
–
AMW
–
PTS
–
BMB
–
WTS
–
CBG
–
CSG
–
DID
–
SOM
–
GLAM
–
KENT
–
SUSS
–
DURH
–
NOT
–
YOR
–
WOR
–
NOR
–
LAN
–
LEI
–
BB
–
ESS
–
GLO
–
LAN
–
DER
–
SUSS
–
HAM
–
DUR-W
–
SOM-W
–
TBLZ-W
–
HAM-W
–
LAN-W
–
ESS-W
–
He has been among the most consistent batters in the Australian side and has played numerous quality knocks in arduous situations in the last couple of years. On air, Greg Blewett compared him with Adam Gilchrist, highlighting his ability to look for runs, irrespective of the situation.
“He’s turned himself into just about the most consistent player in the Australian line-up. In terms of style and the way that Carey goes about it, he reminds me a lot of Adam Gilchrist. Like his great mate Travis Head, he’s always looking to score.”
Alex Carey has played 59 out of his 62 Test innings at No.7 or below and has done a terrific job in this tricky role. However, he has much more to offer than just arresting collapse in the lower order, and he should be promoted in the batting unit, especially after the recent struggles of the top order.
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Since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25, Australia’s top four have averaged only a mere 29.47, the third-worst among teams with multiple Tests in this period. They have used the most players (10) at these numbers, but returns haven’t been convincing.
In the same duration, Australia have struggled to find an opening combination, with Usman Khawaja’s form dwindling and Sam Konstas being hot and cold. They also dropped Marnus Labuschagne and have given opportunities to Cameron Green at No.3, a move that has yet to pay dividends.
Hence, Carey might be a wise option to bat in the top three, for he has been in fine form and has shown expertise in handling movement well, at home and away venues. He is naturally a top-order batter who knows how to manage the new ball, and Australia can always revert him to the lower order if the move doesn’t work after a few matches of experimentation, but this is a chance worth taking.
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