Adelaide, Dec 21 (UNI) Australian wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey described it as a “special” privilege to play in front of his home crowd after producing a career-defining performance in Adelaide to seal the Ashes series, while also praising key contributions from Travis Head and Usman Khawaja.
Carey was named Player of the Match after scoring his maiden Ashes century at his hometown ground and backing it up with a vital second-innings knock. Batting alongside fellow South Australian Travis Head, Carey formed match-defining partnerships that swung the Test decisively in Australia’s favour.
“We knew what was on the line coming into this match, and I thought the boys stayed really present and played what was in front of us. We know England is such a good cricket team and that we were going to be challenged. Again, right to the end today, it was a real grind. For the boys to all chip in throughout the series so far has been a lot of fun. And this Adelaide crowd throughout the last five days has just been something special,” Carey said, during the post-match presentation.
“Travis, again, something special here – four Test hundreds at the same venue. I know how good he is, and he is showing the world he’s one of the best players. To have family and friends, to be able to contribute to Australia’s victories, is always something I am trying to do. To do it here (score his maiden Ashes century) in Adelaide this week was pretty amazing. I am lucky to play a lot of Sheffield Shield cricket here; it is a familiar surface. Against a really good bowling attack, we were definitely challenged throughout the day. To be able to put on a partnership with Usman Khawaja, who came back into the group and played really well at late notice, it was fantastic again, not surprising from such a great player,” he added.
Australia’s first innings was built around Khawaja’s 82 and Carey’s 106, after early damage from England’s pace attack left the hosts struggling at 94/4. Contributions from Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland pushed Australia to 371, despite a five-wicket haul from Jofra Archer.
England replied with 286, led by Ben Stokes and Archer, but Australia retained a healthy lead. In the second innings, Head’s commanding 170 and Carey’s 72 put the match beyond England’s reach, setting them a daunting target of 435.
England’s chase showed flashes of promise but was ultimately undone by regular wickets, with Australia’s bowlers sharing the spoils to dismiss the visitors for 352. Captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon all played key roles with the ball, as Australia secured an unassailable 3-0 series lead.
Carey also reflected on his wicketkeeping, crediting the quality of Australia’s bowling attack for creating opportunities, and expressed hope that spinner Nathan Lyon would recover quickly from a hamstring injury sustained late in the match.
The win confirmed Australia’s continued dominance at home in the Ashes, leaving England still searching for a series victory on Australian soil since 2010/11, with Carey’s performances standing out as one of the defining stories of the series.
Carey hails home crowd after Ashes-clinching Adelaide display
