Baggy Green dream alive for Carey despite white-ball deluge

Having signed a four-year deal that significantly aids his goal to play out his cricket career with Adelaide Strikers, Alex Carey is lifting his gaze to another deeply held ambition – donning a Baggy Green cap.

Carey confirmed today he had no intention of leaving the Strikers, even though he was the final name inked on their 19-man list for KFC BBL|10 that begins in Hobart on December 10.

"I would like to stay at Adelaide for the rest of my career," the 29-year-old said today from Sydney, where he is preparing for the upcoming Dettol ODI and T20I Series against India.

"I have no reason to leave home, I love playing in front of the Strikers fans and at Adelaide Oval and with the group of players we have.

"It was never a thought to go elsewhere … I just had to keep it quiet."

What he's not so secretive about is his hope to be considered Tim Paine's successor when the incumbent Test keeper – and national captain – is no longer in occupation behind the stumps.

That prospect firmed earlier this month when Carey was named alongside Paine in the Australia A squad that will tackle India A and then India in a pair of three-day games that serve as preparation for the Vodafone Test Series scheduled to begin in Adelaide on December 17.

It's expected Paine will take the gloves in the first warm-up match at Drummoyne Oval from December 6-8 before travelling to Adelaide with other members of the Test squad to get ready for the Vodafone Series opener against Virat Kohli's men.

That means Carey would keep wickets in the pink-ball game against a full-strength India outfit at the SCG from December 11-13, a role that suggests the national selectors have him earmarked as Paine's preferred replacement should injury or illness suddenly sideline the skipper.

With Test match playing conditions altered due to the pandemic to allow the use of COVID19 substitutes, both teams have named expanded squads for the Vodafone Series but Australia's 17-man group does not include a specialist reserve keeper.

Selection chair Trevor Hohns indicated former Test gloveman Matthew Wade would fill-in behind the stumps at short notice if required, even though he's only kept twice for Tasmania in the Marsh Sheffield Shield competition in the past two years.

However, Hohns added that if a longer-term option was needed for reasons unforeseen, a specialist keeper would be added to the Test squad.

Carey would appear to be front-runner for that reserve role despite Western Australia keeper-batter Josh Inglis scoring two centuries in the opening phase of the Shield season, and in the knowledge Carey has played just one first-class match in the past 12 months.

Carey concedes his paucity of match practice with red (and pink) balls has made it difficult to push his first-class claims, but believes the experience he's gleaned during that time as keeper in Australia's limited-overs set-up has been hugely beneficial to his long-form aspirations.

"I'm really excited for the opportunity to play some longer-format cricket and be part of the Australia A squad taking on India under lights at the SCG," he said today.

"I guess I've had limited opportunities with first-class cricket, but I wouldn't change that if I'm representing the country with the white ball.

"The experience I'm getting at international level in one-day and T20 cricket, in competitions around the world, it's still batting, it's still wicket-keeping and so I think I'm improving my game.

"So if an opportunity does come up to represent my country in the longer format then I'll hopefully feel prepared and ready to do so, but it's still a long way off.

"Painey's obviously doing a great job behind the stumps and leading the group, so I'll continue trying to improve and keep working on my craft.

"It's still a dream of mine to play Test cricket for Australia.

"Fingers crossed my cricket keeps developing and I keep improving and one day I earn a spot in the Test team."

Carey also believes he and his Australia white-ball squad mates who recently returned from the Indian Premier League have been afforded sufficient opportunities to train and prepare for the limited-overs series despite being confined to strict hotel quarantine until later this week.

He said both teams have been granted training windows of "two or three hours a day" at Blacktown International Sports Park which has allowed him sufficient preparation for the upcoming campaign despite having played just three T20 matches (for Delhi Capitals in IPL) in more than two months.

Carey has also been divested of the limited-overs vice-captaincy he shared with Pat Cummins (who has been installed as Aaron Finch's sole deputy in the white-ball format in a return to more traditional protocols), but will inherit on-field leadership of the Strikers for much of the summer.

Adelaide's appointed skipper Travis Head is expected to miss a bulk of the BBL season due to Test duties, and Carey has confirmed he will take over the captaincy when he has completed his stint with Australia A.

"I will lead the troops once we get underway," Carey said.

"Trav's still the captain of the Adelaide Strikers and obviously the (South Australia) Redbacks, so whenever he's away I'll step into his boots.

"I got a good taste of it last year when Trav was away and I'm really excited to be able to lead those guys again.

"We had a disappointing end to the Big Bash last year but super-excited to get this one underway with familiar faces, some big signings, and one of the favourites, (Afghanistan leg spinner) Rashid Khan is back again."