Alex Carey’s cheeky Jonny Bairstow sledge amid rare BBL dismissal

Australian keeper Alex Carey made his first BBL experience of the season on Tuesday, but couldn’t help taking a cheeky swipe at Jonny Bairstow.

Hobart Hurricanes star Nikhil Chaudhary has joined the rare ranks of players stumped for a diamond duck in the his side’s five-wicket loss to the Adelaide Strikers.

But Aussie wicketkeeper Alex Carey has not been able to help himself with a cheeky swipe at Jonny Bairstow after pulling off a neat piece of work behind the stumps to effect the dismissal.

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The Strikers were all over the Hurricanes, leaving their opponents 4/36 in the seventh over when Chaudhary came to the crease.

Legspinner Cameron Boyce, who had taken the wicket of Corey Anderson the ball before, floated up a leg side ball which saw Chaudhary fall over as he tried to work it down to fine leg.

It dragged his foot forward and onto the crease, but leaving nothing behind, giving the third umpire no choice but to send Chaudhary on his way.

However, he joined a unique group of players to have been dismissed for 0 off 0 balls — also known as a diamond duck — as the ball from Boyce was also called a wide.

On a wide, players can still be stumped or run out, meaning that while it cost the Strikers a run for the wide, it also earned them a wicket, leaving the Hurricanes 5/36.

It's foot on the line from Chaudhary. Photo: Fox Sports

Great work from Carey. Photo: Fox Sports

It’s a rare occurrence to get a diamond duck off a stumping.

In 2018, Pakistani’s Sahibzada Farhan became the first man to be stumped off a wide with his first ball in international cricket — by Alex Carey.

Ultimately, he was the third international player to have suffered the dismissal and 16th in T20 history, although it’s also happened, although rarely in longer forms of cricket.

Nikhil Chaudhary becomes the 16th player in T20 history to be stumped off a wide for diamond duck. pic.twitter.com/r3rZBk3stS

— Adam Morehouse (@ACTCricketStats) January 9, 2024

The dismissal also makes Carey the first wicketkeeper to have done it twice.

But it’s the first time it’s happened in the Big Bash.

When asked about the dismissal on Channel 7, Carey said: “Always happy to get a stumping, mate, you know that. However it comes. Up to the stumps or back. It was good, mate.”

JB: "Magnificent stumping, you would have been happy with that?"

Alex Carey: "Always happy to get a stumping, however it comes. Up to the stumps or back."

😂 #BBL13pic.twitter.com/e8debpjy1D

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 9, 2024

It’s a telling statement from Carey, whether or not he intended it to be a dunk on Bairstow.

Carey infamously stumped Bairstow during the Ashes when the English keeper wandered out of his crease before the ball was ruled dead, and after Carey had thrown the ball back at the stumps.

It ignited an ugly furore as English players took aim at the Aussies for not withdrawing the dismissal, despite attempting to do it themselves.

But it led to speculation that the incident had been living rent free in Carey’s head, leading him to be dropped after the first match of Australia’s ultimately successful World Cup campaign in India.

Hopefully wandering Jonny has learned his lesson. Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

While Carey came into the summer with some pressure on him, he had a good series against Pakistan, contributing important runs at No. 7 including a second innings 53 at the MCG during the Boxing Day Test.

Back to the BBL, from 5/36, Ben McDermott blasted the Hurricanes to a competitive score with a 61-ball 95 including seven fours and five sixes to get Hobart to 7/165 off their 20 overs.

Chris Jordan also contributed three sixes in a 15-ball 30 to give McDermott a much needed hand.

In response, the Strikers got off to a flyer reaching 1/57 in the opening four over power play, before reaching 1/100 at the end of the 10th over.

But the quick dismissals of Matt Short (45 off 32) and Chris Lynn (37 off 26) slowed the Strikers up.

However, a 26-ball 36 from Alex Carey all but got the Strikers home as the side cruised home for a five-wicket win with four balls remaining.