Alex Carey reveals the chilling handwritten threat delivered to Australian dressing room after Jonny Bairstow incident

Alex Carey has revealed fresh details on the vicious fallout from the Jonny Bairstow incident – opening up on a chilling incident where the sanctity of Australian dressing room was breached.

Alex Carey has revealed a handwritten letter containing grave threats to his safety made it through to the Australian cricket team dressing room after the Jonny Bairstow furore at Lords.

Speaking to Mark Howard on The Howie Games podcast, Australian Test gloveman Carey details the vicious fallout of his decision to stump Bairstow in the Lord’s Test of 2023 after the batsman wandered out of his crease.

Carey said in the following Test at Bairstow’s home ground at Headingley, a handwritten threat addressed to him and several other players somehow filtered through the system to be delivered to the dressing room.

“They’ve gone to the length of writing out a hand message and delivering it,’’ Carey said.

“I won’t go into too much detail (what it said) but think of bad threats and that was what it was.’’

Alex Carey has opened up on the chilling threats he received after the Jonny Bairstow incident. Picture: Getty

Carey said he would have no reservations about performing such a stumping again but would handle the fallout better.

“It happened really quickly. It wasn’t a pre-planned thing going into the game or the innings. For us to acknowledge and notice an opportunity to take a wicket in Test cricket is our job.

“I wasn’t impacted too much through the Ashes, but I reckon I was probably denying that. I still went out and played the way that I thought I had to play and the way I wanted to play, but I was not quite focused a hundred per cent.’’

Carey said when Stuart Broad emerged from the dressing room to bat after the dismissal he said to Carey “that is all you will be remembered for’’.

Alex Carey (background) celebrates stumping England’s Jonny Bairstow (R) during the 2023 Ashes. Picture: Getty

Asked whether he would do it again, Carey said: “Yeah, totally. Because I’ve learned to realise everyone’s got their interpretation of spirit of cricket ... play the game within the laws, respect the umpire’s decision, shake hands at the end of the game.

“Those sort of rules, the laws, the spirit that I was brought up with. I haven’t done anything outside of that.

“So would I do it again? Yeah, I would. Would I be better at actually dealing with a bit of scrutiny? Yeah, a hundred per cent.’’

Alex Carey said the support of his wife, Eloise, was crucial. Picture: Getty

Carey said the support of his wife Eloise was crucial in the weeks after the incident.

“She was incredible and really stoic throughout. She kept me really focused and sort of kept me off socials and let me do my job. But it was challenging.

“Eloise was still monitoring socials and looking at that with the kids over

there. And as soon as things get personal towards her or my family, like that’s not

good. If I make a duck, I’m okay getting told how bad I am. That happens every

game. But as soon as it’s not about me, it’s about the family, then it’s like, why?”

Originally published as Alex Carey reveals the chilling handwritten threat delivered to Australian dressing room after Jonny Bairstow incident