Australia’s Alex Carey and a poignant glance to the heavens: ‘Dad played the biggest role in my cricket’
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There was a quick glance to the heavens, and a tear slightly self-consciously brushed away, as Alex Carey raised his arms to acknowledge the century that kept Australia in the third Test.
The emotion, matched by his wife Eloise in the stand at Adelaide Oval, was in memory of Carey’s father Gordon, who died in September after a long battle with leukaemia.
The joy that came with it was in recognition of a first Ashes hundred and the continuation of a purple patch that has seen Carey excel with the gloves while becoming Australia’s leading Test run-scorer in 2025.
How Australia needed Carey on the day England finally showed up with their Ashes hopes and the very future of their Bazball project on the line.
And how the keeper-batter responded on his home ground in front of Eloise and several members of the Carey clan with a brilliant counter-attacking century that ensured Australia did not entirely waste winning a good toss on a flat pitch.
England watch on as Alex Carey counter attacks for Australia (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
England were right back in this third Test — and, potentially, the series — when Jofra Archer took two wickets in the first three balls after lunch to leave Australia in trouble on 94-4.
But Carey, embracing the extra responsibility of batting at No 6, hit back in the best traditions of Australian keeper-batters and, according to the analysts CricViz, defended only 13 per cent of his 143 deliveries while making a priceless 106.
By the time he fell just before the close of play on the first day, handing part-time spinner Will Jacks a second wicket that flattered him, Australia had at least reached respectability. They will return on day two in search of something more, standing at 326-8.
“To make 100 here in front of home fans and family was special. And I guess you know, as well, why I was looking to the heavens,” said Carey after the day’s play. “I will try not to tear up but, no, it was great. And (with) my mum, brother, sister, Eloise, the kids (there)… it was a great moment. A special moment.
“Dad played the biggest role, probably, with my cricket. He coached me all the way through, as dads want to do, and only let me go once I got into my older teenage years. But he would always still send me messages and tell me to put my reverse sweep away. Stuff like that.
“So to be able to take my helmet off and look up to the heavens was a really nice moment. My family and friends would have been proud.”
Alex Carey prepares to walk to the middle after tea (Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
It has been quite a year for Carey despite that personal upheaval.
He has made five scores in excess of 50 and, when he reached 54 on day one at one of the world’s great cricket grounds, he overtook Steve Smith, a late absentee in Adelaide after he experienced a return of the vertigo symptoms of nausea and dizziness that have troubled him in the past, as Australia’s most prolific Test batter of 2025.
The innings was not quite flawless.
Brydon Carse almost took a brilliant diving catch low to his left off Archer when Carey was on 52 and the 34-year-old later survived another incident that further exposed the inadequacies of some of the technology being used in this Ashes.
England were convinced Carey had feathered his attempted cut off Josh Tongue on 72 and quickly referred umpire Ahsan Raza’s not out decision.
“He has the look of a guilty man,” said Steven Finn in the TNT commentary box as Carey sheepishly met with Pat Cummins, even nodding at his captain as if to acknowledge his fate. On this evidence you would not want Carey on your side in any game of poker.
Yet Real Time Snicko (RTS), seemingly an inferior version of Hawk-Eye’s Ultra-Edge now used in England, only showed a spike, bizarrely, before the ball reached the bat and nothing as it passed it. BBG Sports, the company that owns RTS, later accepted culpability for the mistake, telling the BBC that “the Snicko operator at the time must have selected the incorrect stump mic for audio processing”.
The Athletic has contacted BBG Sports for comment.
Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden, commentating for Channel Seven, were both convinced Carey had got a touch at the time, while their fellow former Australian team-mate Justin Langer confirmed to TNT after play: “All the commentators thought it was out.”
Josh Tongue appeals for the catch behind against Alex Carey, to no avail (William West/AFP via Getty Images)
As did, it seems, Carey. “I thought there was a bit of a feather or some sort of noise when it passed the bat,” he admitted. “It looked a bit funny on the replay, with the noise coming early. Snicko clearly didn’t line up so maybe a bit of luck went my way today.”
Then, when asked if he was a walker, Carey replied: “Clearly not!”
England were still unhappy about the error after play, with bowling coach David Saker telling a press conference that an official complaint may be made about the technology to the match referee, Jeff Crowe.
“I don’t think we’ve done anything about it so far but, after today, maybe that might go a bit further,” said Saker. “It should just be better than that.”
Yet perhaps Carey deserved that luck.
He has been equally good behind the stumps in this series as with the bat and produced a wicketkeeping masterclass in the second Test at Brisbane.
Carey’s glovework while standing up to the fast-medium bowling of Michael Neser was exemplary while he also showed off his skills running back almost to the boundary to take a breath-taking diving catch off a top-edged pull from Gus Atkinson.
Alex Carey prepares to pip Marnus Labuschagne to the catch to dismiss Gus Atkinson at the Gabba (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
It has been one of the many ways in which Australia have dominated so far — they are 2-0 up with three Tests to play — with Carey’s peerless displays in stark contrast to those of England’s Jamie Smith. The latter has cut a meek figure to date in the full glare of the Ashes spotlight.
To think that Carey began the series pondering whether he was still going to be booed by the Barmy Army following his controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow at Lord’s in 2023.
In truth, he was an unlikely pantomime villain even in the immediate wake of that flashpoint over cricketing etiquette. Carey is one of the most popular members of the Australian side.
That incident, when he threw down the stumps with Bairstow out of his crease thinking the ball was dead at the end of an over, led to Stuart Broad telling Carey in the heated aftermath that “this is the only thing you will be remembered for”.
Not now.
Not now that Carey is having the series of his life and would be the player of the series so far if Mitchell Starc, ominously unbeaten at the close on 33, had not been enjoying an even better summer to date. Regardless, Carey, who appeared to be adversely affected by the response to his actions for the rest of the 2023 series, has far happier reasons to remember the Ashes.
Ashes centuries by Australian wicketkeepers
Player
Runs
Ground
Year
Ian Healy
102*
Manchester
1993
Ian Healy
134
Brisbane
1998
Adam Gilchrist
152
Birmingham
2001
Adam Gilchrist
133
Sydney
2003
Adam Gilchrist
102*
Perth (WACA)
2006
Brad Haddin
121
Cardiff
2009
Brad Haddin
136
Brisbane
2010
Brad Haddin
118
Adelaide
2013
Alex Carey
106
Adelaide
2025
His efforts could not quite spoil England’s day. The tourists could be satisfied in taking eight wickets on a first-day Adelaide pitch, but will know they need to make big runs in reply. They must only look to bat once if they are going to win, particularly with Jacks having generated some spin already and with Nathan Lyon restored to Australian ranks.
Nobody will be more satisfied than Archer, who bowled consistently in excess of 90 miles per hour in heat approaching 35C and ended up with 3-29 — it was 3-7 three balls into the afternoon session — and a parsimonious economy rate of 1.81 runs per over.
Jofra Archer sends down another thunderbolt (Santanu Banik/MB Media/Getty Images)
It was the perfect response by Archer to the over the top criticism that has come his way in Australia during and since the second Test, in particular in response to him bowling his fastest spell of the series when the game at the Gabba was all but lost.
Hayden criticised Archer for being spotted taking a pillow into the Gabba ahead of play, Ponting said his fiery spell to Smith was “embarrassing” because it came so late and, most crassly of all, former Australian bowler Ryan Harris said Archer should take his ever-present gold chain off his neck to help him bowl faster, adding on SEN Radio: “We all know you’ve got a bit of money.”
It is baffling why such an exciting cricketer, who has overcome so many injury problems to keep his dream of playing Test cricket alive, should attract such unwanted attention but Archer responded in the best way possible on the first day in Adelaide.
Now England’s batters have to follow Carey’s lead if they are to keep this Ashes alive.
