Alex Carey

Alex Carey's rise to Australia's first choice wicketkeeper-batter saw him take a detour through elite football. As the inaugural captain of the Greater Western Sydney Giants, he looked destined for a career in the AFL, but when he was released by the club around his 20th birthday, he redirected his focus to the other sport that had always competed for his attention, cricket.

Carey's Test debut came under dramatic circumstances after Paine resigned as captain shortly before the 2021-22 Ashes. Amidst the chaos, Carey took eight catches in his first Test, and 23 in the series overall.

At the MCG in December 2022, Carey scored his maiden Test century, a stylish 111 against South Africa, the first Test hundred by an Australian wicketkeeper since 2013. In 2025, he scored his second, in a record 259-run stand with Steven Smith in Sri Lanka, a series Australia swept 2-0. However, it was during the 2023 Ashes series in England that he found himself at the centre of global headlines, executing the controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow at Lord's - a moment that turned the unassuming Carey into the villain of the series.

South Australia had long been aware of Carey's talent, having seen him come through age-group ranks and club cricket. Initially picked as a specialist batter in 2013, he struggled to cement his place. That prompted a pivotal reinvention, as a wicketkeeper-batter, and dropping down the order. He subsequently earned strong reviews for his precise footwork, soft hands and promising, elegant batting. He paid out that faith in full measure in the 2024-25 season, when he helped the side secure their first Sheffield Shield title in 29 years, scoring 741 runs at 82.33.

His breakthrough first-class season came in 2016-17 when he took 57 catches and made two stumpings in the Sheffield Shield, breaking the record for the most dismissals in the competition in a single season. It catapulted him into national contention and a potential spot for the 2017-18 Ashes, but he was edged out by Tim Paine, who was making a comeback.

Nonetheless, Carey soon established himself in white-ball cricket, debuting in the ODI side and rising to the role of vice-captain in both limited-overs formats in the wake of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, and cementing his place in the 2019 ODI World Cup. Four years later, during the 2023 ODI World Cup, he lost his place after one match to Josh Inglis and whether he would find a spot again was in question. However, 12 months on, he returned and produced a consistent run of scores.

In the BBL, Carey has been talismanic for Adelaide Strikers since he first joined the team in 2016-17, playing a key role in their first title win in 2017-18. He also holds the record for the most wicketkeeping dismissals in Strikers history.