‘We don’t write anyone off’: Australian coach on possible return of Nicola Carey to national squad

The Australian women’s cricket coach has spoken about the chances of a possible return to the national squad for a Tasmanian player ahead of Tuesday’s T20I in Hobart.

A return to the Australian squad may still be on the cards for Tasmanian Tigers star Nicola Carey with Australian coach Shelly Nitschke declaring “we don’t write anyone off” ahead of Tuesday night’s third T20 clash against South Africa in Hobart.

Tasmanian Tigers player Nicola Carey, pictured here in 2021 while a member of the Australian squad, chose to take state contract over a national one this season. (Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)

Carey, who elected to take a state contract with Tasmania this season, has long been a member of the national set-up but took a step back in a bid to play more cricket on a consistent basis.

“Nicola Carey expressed a desire to spend the winter in Tasmania to allow her to utilize a full pre-season at home,” Cricket Australia national selector Shawn Flegler said at the time.

“(Her) focus is on using that time to develop skills in her game to push for international selection in the future.”

And while Carey’s decision continues to look more and more like a masterstroke thanks to stellar form in the WNCL, Nitschke’s response when asked if a potential return for the all-rounder was still on the cards clearly left the door ajar for one.

“We don’t write anyone off and I was happy to hear, I think, that ‘Nic’ still wants to get back in the squad,” Nitschke said.

“It was good to see her take a step back and have a really good season for Tassie, and we certainly keep an eye on all the domestic players and track their progress and see what we need to be the best we can be as well.”

Currently tied at 1-1 in the series, Australia will be looking to respond from Sunday’s shock six-wicket loss to the Proteas that doubled as the their first ever win over Nitschke’s side in any format.

Grace Harris of Australia bats during game two of the Women's T20 International series between Australia and South Africa at Manuka Oval on January 28, 2024 in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

“I think it was a disappointing result for us,” Nitschke said of Sunday’s loss.

“It probably goes across all facets of the game. I thought we left a few out there with the bat. They bowled particularly well, but we would back ourselves to probably get a few more to chase, and then we gave them a few freebies with the ball and made the job of chasing that total a bit easier than it should have been.”

While Sunday’s loss may have come as a shock to many, the Australian coach said her side was well aware of the talent and competitiveness of not only South Africa but every other country they come up against.

“Particularly with the T20, they are a very good team,” she said.

“It’s not a fluke that they made the T20 World Cup final against us only a year or so ago.

“I don’t think we’ve ever needed reminding (of the competitiveness of women’s cricket). We’ve won some big moments in some big tournaments that have enabled us to have success in world cups.

“But I think along the way, and we’ve had some luck here and there, that the gap has always been closing; if there is one.

“It has always been a competitive game and it only gets more competitive with domestic leagues starting up around the place. We certainly know any country we come up against now that if we are not at our best then we are likely to come out on the wrong end.”

Tuesday’s match at Blundstone Arena kicks off at 7.05pm.