alex carey profile

In the world of movies, Alex Carey might be the ideal superhero, considering the skill set he possesses. The South Australian was an emerging player in Australian Rules Football, captaining a side in 2010 but his career took off over the next few years. Finally, he was dropped from the team in 2012 which saw him return to his home in South Australia. His cricket career started from then.

In his early cricketing days, Carey was an expert batsman by design in grade cricket but had a disappointing start to his dreams in the new game. This did not stop him from getting a rookie contract with South Australia for the 2013–14 season. It was then that he realized the need for multiple skills. Carey began shouldering wicket-keeping duties and gradually got the chance to become a gloveman. This opened up more opportunities for him to be in the playing eleven. He started batting in the lower middle order.

The 2015–16 season was a great one for Kerry in grade cricket and his impact was such that he earned a call-up to the Sheffield Shield for the final round of that season. He managed to catch the eye of the selectors and earned his first senior contract for South Australia in the 2016–17 season. This proved to be the turning point for Carey as he became the fourth gloveman to score more than 500 runs and effect 50 dismissals in a Sheffield Shield season.

Australia's repeated problems with the wicket-keeping batsman slot have meant that Carey has been on the selectors' radar since his release as a cricketer. With Matthew Wade losing his form, it looked like Kerry would be a darkhorse for the 2017-18 Ashes squad. However, it was Tim Paine who got the nod in a stunning selection that nevertheless paid dividends for Australia in the series. Kerry didn't let any of this affect him and continued to score runs as well as being an excellent wicket-keeper in the Sheffield Shield.
Hard work paid off for him after he was taken over as Australia's limited-overs wicket-keeper in the latter half of 2018. With Matthew Wade out of the thick, Carey quickly became Australia's first-choice keeper in the white-ball format. He did well in the 2019 Cricket World Cup and held the record for most catches by a wicket-keeper in a single edition of the World Cup with 18 catches. Carey was subsequently even named vice-captain of Australia's ODI team and led Australia to victory over the West Indies in Aaron Finch's absence. He scored his maiden ODI century against England in 2020.

With Tim Paine stepping down, Carey quickly thrust himself into the Test team and received his baggy green during the first Test of the 2021-22 Ashes. His first Test century came in the Boxing Day Test against South Africa in 2022 and became the first Australian wicket-keeper to score a century since Brad Haddin in 2013.

Carey continued to don the gloves for Australia in all formats and was named in Australia's 2023 Cricket World Cup squad.