Alex Carey’s form creates concern ahead of Champions Trophy

Andrew McDonald, a coach and selector, believes that Alex Carey’s incredible comeback to Australia’s ODI team would give the selectors a headache before the Champions Trophy 2025 when current wicketkeeper Josh Inglis returns from a quad complaint.

After being benched during the ODI World Cup last year, Carey was called up to Australia’s ODI team for the opening match against England. This came about because Inglis was unable to play in the first ODI at Trent Bridge because of quad pain he sustained in the second T20I match against England on September 13.

While Inglis is still out of the picture, Alex Carey has taken advantage of the situation by scoring 74 and 77 not out in back-to-back innings that kept Australia in contention at Headingley and Chester-le-Street, respectively.

It has sparked speculation as to whether Inglis will take immediate backstage once he is well enough to play again. After Australia’s third ODI defeat to England, McDonald commented that having the wicketkeeper would be a headache, but a good one.

“It’s always a good problem to have when you’ve got people competing for spots within your team,” he stated. “Unfortunately, Josh sustained an injury during the T20 series. Alex filled in admirably.” Thus, it’s always a wonderful problem to have, as I mentioned.”

McDonald acknowledged that it was possible for both men to play together in the future. The two have appeared in six ODI matches for Australia together, four of which were during the tours of South Africa and India last year just before the ODI World Cup.

In each of the six matches, Inglis was the designated specialist hitter and Alex Carey was the first-choice wicketkeeper.

McDonald stated, “We will always take that into consideration.” “If you go back about a year and a half, we had Kez and Ingo on the same team. Thus, it is conceivable, and Alex’s batting technique is excellent. In summary, negotiating a path through the centre while avoiding spin. He is an excellent player. Since he has extensive experience playing international cricket, we are not surprised by his performance.”

However, it would seem to be a less likely alternative in the event that every player in Australia is available and healthy. The more likely alternative would be for Australia to add an extra all-rounder to depth the batting lineup; Aaron Hardie put himself forward for the role at the end of Tuesday’s match, scoring an outstanding 44 off of 26 balls, which helped push Australia’s total over 300. It wasn’t until Adam Zampa was declared out due to illness that Hardie was scheduled to play.

Since McDonald became coach in 2022, Australia has been eager to try an all-rounder at No. 8 in the hopes of possibly using that lineup in big events, but they have a tendency to go back to the seven batters and four specialist bowlers lineup that won them the World Cup.

Their options are increased by Hardie’s form, which may further make the case for playing eight batsmen because of his excellent bowling performance thus far in the series. He has less experience in the role at the domestic level, but he still showed off his death-hitting skills by bowling with the new ball.

“Aaron Hardie called into the team late, got some critical death hitting there to get us up to a total,” McDonald stated. “He certainly made an impression today.

We have spoken about it for a while, and we have stated publicly that we intended to have three different ways of playing before the last World Cup, and that one of those methods was with the eighth batter. So, we have already done that. Sometimes that squad isn’t on the table because the all-arounders aren’t always fit and accessible.

“However, we feel that Will Sutherland has also been exposed along the voyage, and with the all-rounders we have in Cameron Green and Aaron Hardie, you also throw Marcus Stoinis into that who isn’t here. You then begin to resolve that. Along with Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short is also an all-around player. Thus, we have choices on how to organise ourselves in that manner. With Adam Zampa, we do tend to lean towards the three quicks, but that’s obviously just one style of play.”

The counterargument is that regardless of how many runs they score, Australia’s all-rounder-heavy assault may be ineffective. Without Zampa in the lineup, that was particularly vulnerable, and England’s hitters exploited it to the fullest. McDonald hopes to have Travis Head and Zampa available for Friday and Sunday’s final two ODIs at Lord’s and Bristol.

“It’s always a different team when Adam Zampa is not there, an incredible performer for us over a long period of time,” McDonald stated. “The choice to exclude him was made too late. It is evident that there has been some sickness in the camp, and this has been thoroughly recorded. Sadly, he was the most recent victim.