Alex Carey to use Ashes omission as a spur to make Test team
Alex Carey has taken his Ashes omission on the chin and vowed to work even harder to realise his Australian Test dream.
Alex Carey has taken his Ashes omission on the chin and vowed to work even harder to realise his Australian Test dream.
Unlucky to miss out on the 17-man squad that will try to win an Ashes Test series on English soil for the first time since 2001, Carey described being overlooked as “very disappointing’’ following a standout World Cup campaign where he made the ICC team of the tournament.
The South Australian wicketkeeper-batsman, who was Australia’s World Cup vice-captain, made 375 runs at 62.50 to go with 20 dismissals.
After having his chin split open and needing stitches thanks to a vicious Jofra Archer bouncer in the semi-final loss to England, Carey was one of only two Australians to make the star-studded team, along with paceman Mitchell Starc, who took a competition-best 27 wickets.
But Carey was not in the squad at Edgbaston that began their Ashes quest on Thursday night (AEST).
“I wanted to be a part of the Ashes squad, so it was disappointing to miss out,’’ Carey told The Weekend Australian from England, where he has remained to play with his county club Sussex.
“I’ve dreamt of playing Test cricket since I was a young fella and hopefully I’ll get there one day because that is the pinnacle of the sport and something I desperately want to achieve.
“It wasn’t to be this time but, if anything, it just spurs me on to keep working hard to get better.’’
Carey, 27, said while he was disappointed at missing out on his first Ashes series, he said he understood the decision, which was relayed to him by chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns.
“Basically Trevor said Tim Paine (No. 1 wicketkeeper) is Test captain, which helps, and then you’ve got Matthew Wade and Cam Bancroft (as back-ups) if Tim is injured during a game,’’ Carey said.
“But he said if there was a long-term injury issue then I would be in the discussion to play, so I’ll just keep trying to perform for Sussex and hopefully put my hand up if something eventuates.’’
Hohns described the decision to leave Carey out of the Ashes squad as “a very tough call’’.
“But he’s still in the country and if anything happened to Tim we’d have no hesitation calling him in,’’ he said.
Carey is staying in England to play Twenty20 cricket with Sussex, coached by his good mate, Adelaide Strikers mentor Jason Gillespie, before returning to Adelaide on September 8.
He showcased his special talent by making 78 from 46 balls on debut for the team just a day after a whirlwind 24 hours of travel.
After missing selection in the Australian team, Carey arrived in Sussex from Southampton, where the Australian team had been based, last Friday.
But he needed a new visa to be able to play locally and was forced to fly to Geneva, Switzerland, at 8am on Saturday to get his visa stamped.
“I walked out of the airport, smelt the fresh air, said I’ve been to Switzerland now and was back on the next plane to England,’’ Carey said.
He then played a dominant role in the Sharks’ 13-run win against Somerset in Taunton in the T20 Blast.
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