Carey carves out a true defining moment with his finest hand
Cricket
Alex Carey was coming under increased scrutiny but silenced all the talk in Christchurch.
CHRISTCHURCH (Web Desk) - "That's all you'll be remembered for." That was the sledge Stuart Broad delivered to Alex Carey after the Jonny Bairstow stumping at Lord's.
It was the moment that turned Carey's world upside down. One of Australia's nicest and most popular players was treated like a villain to the point where he and his family received death threats. All for executing a stumping that the umpires and the MCC laws deemed legal.
But he will be remembered for more than that now after producing his finest Test innings, making 98 not out to pull Australia out of the mire and guide them home to an exceptional fourth-innings chase in Christchurch.
It came at a critical moment in Carey's career. He had been batting reasonably well but his numbers had been slowly declining since that moment at Lord's. The malaise of Australia's batting in general had thrown a spotlight on his recent form.
It wasn't so much his scores as the way he was batting that was cause for concern. He was playing with a frazzled mind. Taking on options that seemed both needless and reckless.
But in Christchurch, under the most extreme pressure he batted with exceptional poise. Only three sides in Test history have chased more runs in the fourth innings when five down than Australia needed when he walked to the crease at 80 for 5 with Australia still needing 199 to win.
Australia looked frazzled. Travis Head had holed out to point off the eighth ball of the day just after Mitchell Marsh was dropped in the same position the ball before.
Carey had holed out to cover twice in the Wellington Test. He picked out deep square in the first innings of Australia's recent loss in Brisbane when he was dominating the game. He paddle-scooped to the keeper in his most recent Sheffield Shield innings when he was on 90.
There was none of that at Hagley Oval. Matt Henry and Tim Southee were finding seam movement after an hour-long rain delay had kept the pitch under cover. Carey put all his funky options away and played with control and class.
He made good decisions around his off stump. He held the line when the ball beat the bat. He drove with control, not pushing too far out in front. The odd edge went straight down due to his soft hands. Any time the bowlers missed straight he glanced with control and found the rope.
Marsh rode his luck at the other end with his typical aggression. But Carey's calm and continuous scoring caused headaches for Southee and New Zealand. They eventually had to spread the field and he picked off ones and twos without any risk as the pair rattled along at more than four an over in a sensational century stand as the runs required shrank at a rapid rate.
Carey was asked after the win whether he had felt like he had been batting well before this innings and just making silly errors.
"You can look at it like that," Carey said. "Look, I think so. It's probably the way I play a little bit. At times I try to create a little bit too much. But I thought today I kept to a really solid plan. Read the conditions, read the bowlers and I guess the partnership as well."
There were some nervous moments. On 19 he was given out lbw by Nitin Menon off Henry but it was overturned by DRS as it was missing leg on the angle from around the wicket.
He didn't have to face a ball from Glenn Phillips until he was 53 not out, despite Phillips having picked him up in each of the last two innings on the tour. He unfurled a needless reverse sweep second ball but immediately put it away thereafter.
He instead stuck to his original game plan that he had gone away from at the Basin Reserve, looking to play Phillips off the back foot and defend with the vertical bat on the front foot. There were some nervous flashes and misses trying to cut balls too full and too tight to off. But for the most part, he played him well.
Marsh's contribution was also outstanding. He has been Australia's man for a crisis over the last 12 months and this was no different. He is punishing his opponents when they have missed their chance.
Just like at Headingley when he was dropped on 12 and went on to make a century, Melbourne when he was dropped on 20 and made 96, and Sydney when he was dropped on 7 and made 54, he put New Zealand to the sword after Rachin Ravindra clanged him at point on 28. He was brave and bold, driving aerially on the up. He smoked several pulls and cuts as Carey fed him the strike.
"Starting a partnership with Mitch Marsh and just bouncing off his energy and intent out there, again, another amazing innings from him," Carey said.
But when Marsh fell and Mitchell Starc followed off consecutive balls in a rapid Ben Sears over, Australia's hopes of victory looked shaky with 59 still needed and only three wickets in hand.
Having done all the hard work to get Australia close, it was then that Carey took on the calculated risks against Phillips, sweeping and lap sweeping for back-to-back boundaries to release the pressure as Cummins was getting tied down against the spin.
He also nailed a pull shot off Sears forward of square to move to 97, before a single took him to 98 with just two runs to win.
But such is his selflessness, he was happy for his captain to finish the job while he remained at the other end. Thoughts of a century never entered his mind. It spoke volumes about a man whose value within the team is far greater than those outside it would see.
"I think his glove work's been basically flawless since he started," Cummins said. "That's obviously pretty much the main role as a keeper in the side and we've seen it over many years. In ODI cricket, state cricket recently, and some key Test innings Kez is well and truly a match-winner with his batting as well.
"I think 98, it's an away series, scoring runs away is always harder than home, is another nod to the pretty special career that Kez is carving out for himself."
