Last Updated on 4 months ago by Charbel Coorey
Alex Carey has made a habit of scoring important runs. Since becoming a regular in Australia’s Test and ODI sides, Carey has produced numerous performances under pressure to lead his team out of trouble.
The keeper-batter can divide opinion at times with the nature of his dismissals, most notably the reverse sweeps. However, he has played a number of important knocks that resulted in victories, giving him the title of one of the more clutch players going around.
Here is a look at 17 important Alex Carey knocks across formats.
List of Alex Carey’s most important knocks: A man for a tricky situation
Tests
106 vs England, 3rd Test, Adelaide, 2025
Carey walked into chaos in the first over after lunch on day one of the third Ashes Test at Adelaide. Australia had fallen to 94/4 courtesy of woeful shots by Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green against a consistent and fast Jofra Archer.
Carey, however, was unflustered. He was positive from the get go, with his offside play a sight to behold. He put pressure on the England bowlers throughout, helping Australia to a 300+ total courtesy of his third Test century.
Batting on 72, Carey was at the centre of another controversial Ashes moment. He admitted he may have got lucky regarding a non-caught behind call. However, it was still a fabulous innings given the circumstances.
98* vs New Zealand, 2nd Test, Wellington 2024
Arguably Carey’s most clutch innings to date, walking in at 80/5 chasing 279 against New Zealand. He combined for 140 runs with Mitchell Marsh to take Australia to 220/6 in pursuit of 279, but the job was far from done after the latter was dismissed for 80.
Mitchell Starc was dismissed first ball to leave Australia needing 59 with just three wickets in hand. However, Carey stood firm alongside captain Pat Cummins (32*) to seal a series-clinching victory.
65 vs West Indies, 1st Test, Barbados 2025
Australia’s three-match tour of the West Indies began in difficult fashion. The batting lineup, criticised during and after the WTC Final against South Africa, managed just 180 in the first innings. Things looked shaky once again in the second, with Australia falling to 65/4 with a lead of just 55.
Travis Head (61) and Beau Webster combined for 102 runs, but Australia were still not out of the woods. Leading by 157 with only the bowlers to come, Carey played an excellent counterattacking knock of 65 off 75 balls to catapult Australia towards a 300-run lead.
The bowlers were then far too good, rolling the hosts for 141 to seal victory by 159 runs.
63 vs West Indies, 2nd Test, Grenada 2025
New Test, same top order problems for Australia. Pat Cummins’ side fell from 47/0 to 50/3 and then 93/4 on the stroke of lunch on day one of the second Test against West Indies. When Travis Head was dismissed for 29, Australia were tottering again at 110/5.
Carey (63 off 81 balls) put on 112 with Beau Webster to take Australia past 220 on a tricky pitch. It was an excellent innings by Carey, with some wonderful footwork down the pitch to the pace bowlers. He was dismissed in soft fashion pulling to midwicket, but it took little away from another fine innings under pressure.
43 vs South Africa, WTC Final, Lord’s 2025
When it comes to entry points, it doesn’t get much harder than 73/7 in a WTC Final against a fantastic South Africa attack extracting plenty of movement. Australia, leading by 147 at that point, needed a lift to get a lead of at least 200.
Carey counterattacked superbly, hitting 43 off 50 balls as he combined with Starc to put on 61 for the eighth wicket. Australia went on to lose by five wickets, but Carey’s innings was important in the context.
156 vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test, Galle 2025
Australia thrashed Sri Lanka by an innings and 242 runs in the first Test of their 2025 series. The second was shaping up a little differently with Australia 91/3 in pursuit of Sri Lanka’s first innings total of 257 on a Galle surface offering turn.
Carey (156) combined with Steve Smith (131) to blow the game wide open. The pair put on 259 in a magnificent partnership in the context of the game. From 350/4, Australia then collapsed to 414 as the pitch took more spin.
In reply, Sri Lanka couldn’t cope with Matt Kuhnemann and Nathan Lyon, making just 231 to leave Australia needing 75 for a 2-0 series sweep. The visitors achieved this easily with nine wickets to spare.
65 vs West Indies, 2nd Test, Brisbane 2024
Alex Carey walked in with Australia reeling at 54/5 in response to West Indies’ 311 at the Gabba in January 2024. The keeper-batter played one of his trademark counterattacking knocks, hitting 65 off 49 balls to turn the tide.
Pat Cummins also contributed (64) along with Usman Khawaja (75) to eventually get Australia to 289/9d. But, West Indies eventually managed to get over the line thanks to an all-time spell by Shamar Joseph (7/68) to seal a memorable victory by nine runs.
53 vs Pakistan, 2nd Test, MCG 2023
Australia were in all sorts of trouble, collapsing to 16/4 in the second innings of the 2023 Boxing Day Test against Pakistan. They were leading by just 68 at this point. Mitchell Marsh (96) and Steve Smith (50) combined for a crucial 153-run stand, but Australia still needed more.
Carey ensured Australia kept chipping away. He was unusually circumspect for his 101-ball 53, holding things together well as he batted through to the end of the innings.
In the end, Australia’s 316-run lead was enough to win a memorable Test match by 79 runs.
66 vs England, 1st Test, Edgbaston 2023
Australia fell to 67/3, 148/4 and 220/5 in response to England’s 393/8d in the classic Edgbaston Test of 2023. Still 173 behind with the bowlers to come, Carey (66 off 99 balls) combined with Usman Khawaja for a crucial 118-run stand that brought Australia right back in the contest.
Pat Cummins (38) contributed in the first innings to take Australia to 386. The captain went even better in the second, getting Australia home by two wickets alongside Nathan Lyon to spark memorable scenes.
66* vs India, WTC Final, The Oval 2023
Australia were playing from in front in the 2023 WTC Final against India after tons to Steve Smith and Travis Head on day one. After making 469, Australia then took a 173-run first innings lead.
However, India had belief of a stunning comeback when they reduced Australia to 124/5 in the second innings. The Aussies were leading by 295 at that point, and while they were still favourites, even a chase of 350 was possible on a pitch holding up well.
Carey (66* off 105) played beautifully to snuff out any realistic hope of an Indian revival. He first combined with Cameron Green for 43 runs and then Mitchell Starc for 93 to put Australia on course for a first WTC title, which they eventually won by 209 runs.
67 vs Pakistan 3rd Test 2022
With the 2022 series locked at 0-0 on very flat pitches, Australia were in a spot of bother at 206/5 in the third Test at Lahore. Carey struck an important 105-ball 67 to help ensure Australia made a strong first innings total of 391.
From there, Australia were in the driving seat, and Pat Cummins made a sporting declaration at 227/3 in the second innings to leave Pakistan needing 351 for victory. The visitors prevailed, with Cummins (3/23) and Nathan Lyon (5/83) the chief destroyers.
45 vs Sri Lanka 1st Test 2022
On a sharp turner in Galle, Australia faced the prospect of a tricky fourth innings total unless they took a strong first innings lead. At 157/5 in pursuit of Sri Lanka’s 212, a second innings shootout looked a possibility.
However, Carey (45 off 47) combined with Cameron Green for a vital 74-run stand to give Australia a lead. Green went on to make 77, and with contributions from the lower order, the visitors’ lead of 109 was way to much for Sri Lanka, who were rolled for 113 in just 22.5 overs. Travis Head took 4/10.
Australia chased the target of five with a four and six by David Warner.
ODIs
69 vs England, 2025 Champions Trophy, Lahore
Australia, missing a host of first-team players, were 136/4 and in trouble chasing England’s 351/8 in their Champions Trophy opener. However, Josh Inglis (120* off 86 balls) and Alex Carey (69 off 63 balls) ensured it was Australia’s day. The pair were magnificent, managing the run chase perfectly thanks to a mix of proactive strike rotation and aggressive strokeplay to ensure they found the boundary often enough.
Carey was dismissed with the score 282 in the 42nd over. Glenn Maxwell (32* off 15) ensured there were no further hiccups as Australia won with ease in the end.
74 vs England, 2nd ODI, Leeds 2024
Australia were in all sorts of trouble in the second ODI of their 2024 tour of England. They lost nine wickets in 36.3 overs with just 221 in the board. However, Carey was still at the crease and 250 was still a possibility.
The keeper-batter ensured Australia went well past that figure. His 67-ball 74 propelled Mitch Marsh’s team to 270 – a total that proved 68 too many for England.
85 vs New Zealand, 1st ODI, Cairns 2022
Australia collapsed to 44/5 in their 2022 series opener against New Zealand in Cairns. On a slow pitch, none of the Australians could get going, until Carey and Cameron Green got together.
Carey’s 99-ball 85 helped take the hosts past 200. However, Australia quickly collapsed from 202/5 to 207/8, before Adam Zampa (13 off 13) stuck around with man of the match Green (89* off 92) to seal a thrilling two-wicket win.
106 vs England, 3rd ODI, Old Trafford 2020
73/5 chasing 303 usually means game over. This was the scenario Australia faced on the deciding ODI of their 2020 series in England.
Carey (106 off 114) combined with Glenn Maxwell (108 off 90) to put Australia on the brink of a memorable victory. The pair put on 212 runs, but Australia were in such trouble at one point that victory still needed to be sealed in the final over by Mitchell Starc (11 off 3 balls).
71 vs New Zealand, 2019 World Cup, Lord’s
Carey produced a man of the match performance in their 2019 World Cup showdown against New Zealand. Australia were in trouble at 92/5 when the keeper-batter walked in. He took the game by the scruff of the neck, hitting a 72-ball 71 on a surface where batters from both teams struggled.
Australia eventually reached 243/9 and won easily by 86 runs. Mitchell Starc took 5/26.
