Australia wicket-keeper Alex Carey opened up on his close relationship with former Australian glovemen as he continues to excel in his Test career.
Carey, who received his Baggy Green from Adam Gilchrist during his Test debut in the 2021 Ashes series, remains in regular contact with a select group of former wicketkeepers. He values their advice and support, highlighting the camaraderie among Australian wicketkeepers.
“The beauty of representing Australia as a wicket-keeper is it’s a pretty small club,” Carey told ICC. “Adam Gilchrist presented my Baggy Green and is a guy I obviously looked up to when I was a youngster.
“Brad Haddin was part of the one-day World Cup, I have done some work with Ian Healy, Graham Manou is a South Australian boy and Tim Paine recently as well – and Matty Wade is another.
“It is really nice to be able to bounce ideas off those guys, even just some thoughts and questions to get a second opinion. They are really open to offering advice and support and like I said it is a pretty small club so it is always nice to hear from those guys.”
Carey added that he has also benefited from working alongside cricket great Ricky Ponting. Ponting praised Carey’s improvement behind the stumps and regarded him as one of the best Test wicketkeepers globally. Carey expressed his gratitude for Ponting’s words and his desire to continue honing his skills.
“To hear those words from Ricky is great,” Carey noted. “As a player I have tried to improve with every game and with every opportunity I get. To work with Ricky over the last number of years, starting over here in England four years ago and part of the One-Day World Cup was great and it would be nice to have a great tour here.”
As Australia prepare for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final against India and the upcoming Ashes series in England, Carey aims to further establish his credentials. Despite the decision to skip a warm-up match raising eyebrows among former players like Allan Border, Carey defended the team’s approach.
Carey emphasised the players’ individual training programs and expressed confidence in their readiness for the crucial matches. With his dedication to continuous improvement, Carey aims to solidify his position as Australia’s wicketkeeper and make significant contributions to the team’s success.
“The guys have all gone away and had individual programs over this (recent) period. We have had guys playing cricket here in England. The guys at the IPL and some guys at home spending some time there,” Carey said. “Coming together now we really feel the excitement heading into the Test Championship.
“I think it will be a hindsight thing about whether or not we should have played a warm-up match. As a player I feel like we will be ready come that first match so I think it will be one of the things talked about after the Test match.”
