While many of his Ashes team-mates have opted to rest at various stages since the 4-1 triumph, Carey has not missed a game that he has been available for in any format for Adelaide Strikers or South Australia. He played Strikers last three matches of the BBL season before returning to state cricket where he has played all four Shield matches and the last two One-Day Cup games of the home and away season.
He played a key role with the bat and gloves in the final four Shield games to help propel them to their second straight Shield final. He conceded some fatigue was setting in and he is set to take a lengthy break after the final with no franchise commitments overseas in April and May before Australia’s white-ball tour of Bangladesh and Pakistan in June, but he does not need any extra motivation to try and win another Shield title.
“I’m going well,” Carey said after the draw against Victoria in Melbourne on Tuesday. “Ashes series take a lot out of you physically, but more so mentally. And to come back into this group, knowing you’re going to push for a Sheffield Shield final gives you a lot of motivation, and a bit of Big Bash in there as well. So it’s a great group to be around.
“I feel like you come into these environments and you really refresh yourself, because it’s something different. I love playing Test cricket, absolutely love it and being around that squad. But I guess when you come back into a group, there’s new faces, there’s boys I’ve grew up playing cricket with, and we’re pushing for a Shield final. I’d be lying for say I wasn’t looking forward to a break after the Shield final, but I’m certainly ready and really keen for next week.”
The final regular-season match between Victoria and SA petered out due to significant rain delays on day three, but both teams felt like they took plenty from the Shield final preview. Carey thought his side handled the big threat of Test team-mate Scott Boland and is looking forward to facing him again in the final.
“I think the boys played him pretty well,” Carey said. “We saw it seam around a little bit with that new ball. It’s a great challenge. You’ve got to win Sheffield Shields against the best teams and the best bowlers. And we know how good Baz [Boland] is, and he’s had a good summer, and hopefully maybe has a quite week next week.”
Carey, 34, is an integral part of both of Australia’s Test and ODI teams, albeit he is a specialist batter in the 50-over outfit at the moment behind first-choice wicketkeeper Josh Inglis. He earned a brief recall into the T20I team late last year when Inglis was injured. His overall T20I record is very modest but there have been calls for him to return to the T20I set-up following Australia’s World Cup disaster.
But Carey was not willing to compromise his time off ahead of a huge Test schedule over the next 18 months to play more franchise cricket to push his case.
“I’m really clear where I sit in that,” Carey said. “Hopefully there’s a world where you can play more T20 cricket in your own country, in the Big Bash, and still play all the Test matches and do it all, but understanding there’s little windows to take breaks, and I’ll have a break after this Shield season, rather than going playing some T20 cricket.
“I feel like that’s the right thing to do. And then once we get rolling again, there’s a lot of cricket. I don’t go to bed at night dreaming to be in that T20 team. I’m really clear where I sit in that.”
Alex Malcolm is an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo
