Australia’s wicketkeeper Alex Carey became the villain on English soil after he stumped Jonny Bairstow with an underarm throw while the latter left his crease after the last ball of the over was bowled. While much has been said from both sides and the ‘spirit of cricket’ debate has left former and current cricketers divided, Australian players have not held themselves back from seeing the funny side of it. Carey, making his first appearance in the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL) 2023-24 took an indirect dig at Bairstow while talking to the commentator during the match between Adelaide Strikers and Hobart Hurricanes.
Carey stumped Hurricanes' Indian recruit Nikhil Chaudhary in the seventh over bowled by Cameron Boyce. Chaudhary lost his balance and Carey removed the bails in a flash off the wide ball. After the stumping, the commentator said, “Magnificent stumping. You would have been happy with that” to which Carey replied, “Always happy to get a stumping, however it comes. Up to the stumps or back.”
The left-handed batter was part of the three-Test series against Pakistan. He scored 129 runs from five innings including a half-century at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
With smart glovework from Carey, the Hurricanes lost five wickets for just 36 runs. But opener Ben McDermott carried his bat and helped the Hurricanes post 165/7 on the board. He scored 96 runs from 61 balls including seven fours and five sixes. He was aided by Chris Jordan's cameo as well.
In the run chase, Carey walked out to bat when the Strikers were 103/2 in 10.5 overs. In the next few overs two more wickets fell but Carey did not let the pressure build as he hit four fours and a six in his 26-ball 36 to get them to the doorstep of victory. The Strikers won the match by five wickets with four balls to spare.
Carey will be a part of Adelaide Strikers’ next two league games before joining Australia’s squad for two-Test series against West Indies. So far, the Strikers have managed to win three games out of eight. They will need to win next two matches to reach the last four.
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