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Test legend Adam Gilchrist has urged patience with under-fire wicketkeeper Alex Carey after his latest blunder at the SCG.
Carey gave Haseeb Hameed a life on nine off Pat Cummins when he dived to his right and grassed an outside edge on the fifth morning. Although Carey later redeemed himself by catching the opener off Scott Boland, it was the second time he dropped Hameed in the Test.
In Adelaide, he let an edge fly past him to the boundary and after a record-breaking start with a flawless performance in Brisbane, Carey’s inconsistencies have started to mount and pile on the pressure.
“There was a nice, healthy edge,” said Adam Gilchrist of the dropped chance on Sunday.
“He moved well again, Carey, it just hit the wrong part of the glove. He’s got himself in a little rut there now in that exact area. That’s two in this game now. The disappointment, it’s a horrible feeling.”
When he snared Haseeb to an easier chance, Shane Warne praised his improved footwork.
“No one likes to drop a catch. It’s the worst feeling in cricket,” Warne said. “That looked like the technique was really good. Better foot movement, technically more precise and it looked so much easier, it didn’t look a struggle.
“That will do his confidence the world of good.”
But Gilchrist was quick to add that the greatest Australian wicketkeepers have found it a tough gig to get settled into.
“All he can do is front up and be ready for the next opportunity,” Gilchrist said on Fox Cricket.
“Early in a Test career don’t be too hard, don’t be too judgmental. You can see the warmth and appreciation in the group of how highly they regard him and I don’t we think we need to over-analyse or be overly critical.
“Rod Marsh started his Test career and ‘iron gloves’ was his nickname and he went on to retire with the most number of dismissals in Test cricket Ian Healy did the same, I know I improved more over the course of my career.”
But Mark Waugh had a different take on Carey, calling out his positioning, as well as Pat Cummins for contributing to Carey’s apparent confidence issues.
“I think Carey stands too direct behind the batsmen to the right handers and Starc. It’s almost like he’s trying to look around the corner when he’s trying to pick the line of the ball up.
“We saw in Adelaide when the nick went between Warner and Carey and I thought then he wasn’t wide enough. I’m not a keeper but just visually he’s very direct behind the batsmen and the stumps. I think he needs to come half a step to his right and get a better line of the delivery.”
“The first couple of Test matches he never dropped a ball. Now it’s a bit of a confidence thing. Yesterday Pat Cummins made him go out to bat. It was a silly thing to do. We didn’t have to, we were plenty in front and he got a duck. That’s got to affect your confidence a little bit as well.”
Experts and fans on social media showed little patience with Carey, who won the nod ahead of Josh Inglis to replace Tim Paine as Australia’s keeper this campaign.
Gilly knows just a bit more about wicket-keeping than I do, but I thought that was garbage analysis regarding Alex Carey. The "lets not over-react to a couple of drops" would apply if Carey was a highly regarded WK having a bad test. But his keeping has been a long time issue.
— Tom O'Neil (@thomasjameoneil) January 8, 2022
You have to say that Alex Carey has not covered himself in glory so far in Test cricket. #Ashes
— Geoff Lemon Sport (@GeoffLemonSport) January 8, 2022
Alex Carey's keeping has been badly exposed in this series.
— Rudi Edsall (@RudiEdsall) January 8, 2022
Carey couldn’t catch Covid at the moment #ashes
— James Mottershead (@mottersjames) January 8, 2022
Gerard: "It's the conversation that nobody wants to have – the quality of Alex Carey's keeping. The Test keeper has got to be taking those catches."
— SEN 1116 (@1116sen) January 8, 2022
Carey’s batting has been nothing to write home about either this series, with 110 runs at 15.71 and 51 of those coming in the first innings in Adelaide.