He 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 10 boundaries and a maximum, at a strike rate of 77.78 while batting at No.7.
AUSA-W
–
INDA-W
–
KNK
164/6
BVB
214/6
AMR
–
VSS
–
SKA
–
SLK
–
ABF
–
TKR
–
EDR
–
PD
–
ODW
–
NDS
–
SDSW
73/3
EDRW
–
NDSW
–
CDQW
–
KHTC
117/8
MRSC
142/4
Masroor Sports Club beat 1.Kieler HTC by 25 runs
THCC
56/10
KSV
59/8
KSV Kings beat THCC ROT-GELB Hamburg by 2 wickets
MTV
–
MRSC
42/2
KSV
–
KHTC
–
THCC
–
MTV
–
HTBC
–
SCE
–
HTBC
–
VFB
–
SCE
–
SGFD
–
VFB
–
BRCC
–
BRCC
–
SGFD
–
MID
–
KENT
110/1
LAN
–
DURH
–
LEI
–
DER
–
HAM
–
NOT
–
ESS
–
GLAM
–
NED-W
–
ITA-W
–
IRE-W
–
GER-W
–
BAN
–
IND
–
Match Called off
MUR
–
NWW
–
LLG
–
NK
–
KZK
–
NCMI
–
SBSCC
–
CEC-A
–
PCR
–
GUJCC
–
RTZ
–
KUMS
–
GBM
–
SML
133/7
MGD
–
HBT
–
GBM
–
MYW
–
HBT
–
BNB
–
ROS
–
RNC
4/0
MUT
–
YSG
–
AUS
–
SA
296/8
TRR
–
MAO
–
WEF
–
SOB
–
LOS
–
NOS
–
TRW-W
–
MOW-W
–
WFW-W
–
SBW-W
–
LSW-W
–
NOS-W
–
AS-A
137/4
PSA
136/9
Adelaide Strikers Academy beat Perth Scorchers Academy by 6 wickets
CHK
206/5
PS
137/8
Chicago Kingsmen beat Pakistan Shaheens by 69 runs
NEP
180/7
HHA
114/10
Nepal beat Hobart Hurricanes Academy by 66 runs
NTS
16/1
BANA
172/4
CHK
–
ACOM
–
MS-A
–
PSA
–
NEP
–
MR-A
–
PS
–
AS-A
–
KASS
1/1
KARS
201/3
MEMA
–
LUF
–
NOSK
–
GOLS
–
LUF
–
KASS
–
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 line-up, especially after the recent struggles of the top order.
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.
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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. 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. 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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