Wicket Keepers Australian striker Alex Carey welcomed the opportunity to work with Steve Waugh after earning his praise for his performance in the 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Carey was one of the outstanding players in the Australian World Cup campaign, finishing with 375 runs in nine innings with an average of 62.50. But more than the numbers, it was his serenity under pressure and the range of punches he impressed. It caused Waugh to compare the boy to Michael Hussey.
The former Australian captain has supported the team as a mentor at the start of his Ashes campaign and is using his availability to effectively transition into Red Ball cricket.
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🇦🇺 fans, do you see Alex Carey in the #Ashes squad?https://t.co/B07ZhmybdK pic.twitter.com/icOV4WesiW
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) July 22, 2019
“When I’m half as good as he is (Hussey), I’m happy, he’s an incredible player,” Carey said. “Having Steve is great for the group, I think he won nine (eight) Ashes series as a player and was here in England and played a lot to have the knowledge of Steve Waugh, one of the biggest Australian Cricketer, Being part of this group is something we are really happy about.
“Personally, I talked briefly to get to know Steve, it’s pretty early and he’ll look after us and give us his opinion on the things, it’s just great to have knowledge, Steve looked at the one-day stuff and commented a bit I have had a few small talks with him, but now I move more into the red ball and get the focus of a longer format.
“The patience of the game to stay focused longer, small things that will come out in the next few days, the more we train, the more you start talking, the more questions you ask.”
Some of Carey’s best performances at the World Cup came in crisis situations. Against the West Indies he made 45 and entered with Steve Smith in a 68-run booth to show the first signs of recovery after Australia had dropped to 79/5. In the end, they made 288.
Then he beat an unbeaten 35-ball 55 against one of the tournament’s best attacks in India’s next game against India. Australia was still beaten extensively with 36 runs, but the ease with which Carey stroked the ball while the rest fought in a big 353 chase was an eye-catcher.
His 71th against New Zealand from seventh place was crucial to lift Australia from 92/5 to 243/9, defending her with 86 runs. Even in Australia’s final round-robin match against South Africa, he almost helped them hunt 326 with an outstanding 85 out of 69 balls.
Carey kept a cool head and took the pressure off while he lured with his stroke. “I think the different circumstances during the World Cup were really good learning experiences for me,” Carey said. “With Smith and Warner on the side and the experienced guys I’m struggling with, you learn a lot in the middle.
“Obviously, you’re hoping to be batting at seven in the last ten, and if you do not, you’ll do your best to be busy and fill the fold, and sometimes it felt like a game of good cricket and Do some test cricket – take some pressure and rebuild it sometimes, it was good to go through different circumstances and have some success.
“The last six to eight weeks have been a tremendous learning experience for me and have gone back as far as 12 months, and every time I go out to play, I try to learn as much as possible from success or failure, from the experienced guys when If you get under pressure in a team, you learn a lot about yourself pretty quickly. “
