Alex Carey Hailed as ‘World’s Best’ Following Wicketkeeping Masterclass in Brisbane Test

Alex Carey performed exceptionally well during the recently concluded Brisbane test match. His wicketkeeping skills got highlighted throughout the match, showcasing why he is the no.1 choice of Australia for test cricket. A lot of cricket experts lauded his abilities to keep the wickets when Smith brought fast bowlers to the attack. Carey showed solid hands behind the stumps, giving the England batters no chance to move freely.

After the match, Carey said that he was pretty proud of his effort during the whole test. He said the bowlers were bowling with tight lines and lengths, so his job became more important behind the stumps.

"Self-reflection, yeah, pretty proud of my efforts out there. Thought opportunities to come up to the stumps against some really good bowling and the boys were able to beat the bat. So thought I did a good job for the team. I also thought the bowlers did an amazing job to create those chances." said Alex Carey at the end of the Brisbane test.

He then revealed that standing up to keep wickets against a pace attack is something he does not practice in training sessions. It was a new experience for him, however, he trusted himself to execute it perfectly.

"I don't practice up to the stumps against fast bowling, think that probably could be a little bit dangerous at times. You work on the fundamentals of the game, and for me that's keeping up to the stumps to Nathan Lyon a lot but doing my drills in the nets with a nick bat, getting throws, trying to get in good positions.” said Alex Carey.

"Then when you are in a game of cricket I feel like your instincts take over most of the time, so trusting the positions that I'm in then hoping my instinct takes over and I get into the right position to hang onto them." added Alex Carey.

Many former greats also applauded Carey’s work behind the stumps with strong words. Ian Healy said that Alex Carey is undoubtedly the best in the world, because showcasing such great wicketkeeping skills against pace bowling is not an easy job.

"I think he's clearly the best in the world, probably even before this [Test]. To have such long periods [standing up] to quite fast bowling on a pitch that looks as if something might happen - but didn't a whole lot of times - clearly cements him as the best. To be able to be effective with it as long as he was, you know, he hardly misgloved any of them.” said Ian Healy.

Alex Carey’s Wicketkeeping was Exceptional, Says Steve Smith

The Australian stand-in captain, Steve Smith, also shared his admiration for Alex Carey. He said Carey’s glove work during the match was simply exceptional, as he stood up to the stumps even when the pacers were bowling at high speeds.

"That performance behind the stumps was something else. Ness [Neser] was getting the ball up around 137-138kph at times. Boland similar. He just gets in behind it. He finds a way to just get the ball in his hands. It hits the batter's pads and it ends up in his hands somehow.” said Steve Smith.

"He works exceptionally hard. He's as fit as anyone. He just turns up day in, day out. Rarely makes a mistake and pulls off unbelievable catches.” added Steve Smith.

Michael Neser also applauded Alex Carey by saying that he showcased remarkable consistency while standing up to the wickets. He added that having a keeper like Carey is a great asset for the Australian team, because his abilities are simply outstanding.

"That wouldn't be possible without Kez [Carey], and what Steve did there at the end was special. I didn't even have to ask Kez to come up, he just does it ... to have a keeper like that is great." said Michael Neser.

Australia will now take on England in the third Ashes test at Adelaide. The home team is confident to win the next match as well by delivering another strong performance. Their attack will be bolstered by the return of Pat Cummins, who is a regular captain of Australia in test cricket. It would be interesting to see how Cummins will perform in the Adelaide test, as his fitness to take on the long bowling spells would be monitored by everyone.