Alex Carey’s last day of Test cricket at Lord’s was quite eventful, just like this match against South Africa. He missed a reverse sweep against Keshav Maharaj and then dropped an easy catch from Wiaan Mulder, putting him in the spotlight.
Still, Australia’s strong performance, which put them ahead despite scoring only 212 runs, may have made these two moments seem less important.
Carey has often used the reverse sweep throughout his career. A few years ago, his wife Eloise shared her thoughts on it. “My wife is my toughest critic when it comes to that shot. She says, ‘don’t play the damn reverse sweep again,'” Carey joked in 2022 during a tour of Sri Lanka when it became a hot topic. “But I kindly remind her, ‘you haven’t played the game. Sure, you might get out playing reverse sweeps and sweeps… but they can also lead to good outcomes.'”
His choice to use that shot on the first day at Lord’s will likely face some criticism. He had great success with it in Sri Lanka earlier this year, but the conditions at Lord’s were definitely different from Galle. After starting at 192 for 5 and hoping to reach 300 with Beau Webster under clear skies, things suddenly shifted with a lower-order collapse of 5 wickets for just 20 runs in 34 balls.
However, there was an opening in the field, and like many modern players, Carey views it as just another option he can take. It didn’t work out this time, but it’s unlikely to stop him from trying it again if he thinks the situation is right.
Carey’s use of the reverse sweep shows both risk and reward. In Test cricket, he has scored more than a run per ball with this shot, accumulating 129 runs off 113 balls, although he has also been out six times while attempting it.
After a stretch of limited success, he turned things around last year in New Zealand with an unbeaten 98 that helped his team win the series. Since then, Carey has performed exceptionally well in all formats, earning him much praise. He has also excelled as a wicketkeeper, making his dropped catch even more unexpected.
During the fifth over of South Africa’s innings, Mulder edged a drive off Mitchell Starc. Carey only needed to shift slightly to his right, but the ball slipped through his gloves. Starc began to celebrate what he thought would be a wicket but had to stop quickly when the catch was missed.
Steven Smith explained, “It was just one of those catches that swung a little on him, which can happen with the Dukes ball. You often see the ball go past the bat and swing late. This one just moved a bit on him and put him in an awkward spot when it reached his chest.”
“It’s sometimes tough to catch behind the wicket when the ball behaves like that. He has been doing a great job keeping for the last two years. We all have moments where we might drop a catch now and then.”
At the same time, Smith did not think batting would get much easier as the game went on after the first day saw 14 wickets fall, with nine of them in the final session. “As the game goes on, it might spin a bit more,” he said. “The pitch is pretty dry. The seam could also change as we progress. I expect the bounce will be inconsistent throughout, just like we noticed on day one.”
“I believe we’re in a solid position; we missed some chances with the bat to score more runs, but the wicket has been challenging all day. We’re ahead by 169 runs with four wickets down for them. Hopefully, it will behave similarly in the morning as it did today.”
