BBL 2020-21: Alex Carey locks in new deal to stay with Adelaide Strikers
Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey has confirmed a four-year extension with the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League (BBL). Much to the joy of Strikers' fans, this deal will keep him at the franchise until at least the end of BBL 13.
Alex Carey has been one of Strikers' leading run-scorers, only behind the regular captain Travis Head and Jake Weatherald. With India's tour of Australia coinciding with the BBL 2020 till January, Alex Carey will also be up for captaining the side because Head is expected to miss most of the season owing to national duty.
"Alex is a key part of the group, a player and leader of the highest standard, and for him to be at the Strikers for the next four years is a massive result for this franchise, the city and our fans," Strikers head coach Jason Gillespie said.
"We feel we have assembled a squad that covers every facet of the T20 game, and we'll be ready to hit the ground running for a huge tenth season of the Big Bash," Gillespie added.
Alex Carey's leadership credentials
Alex Carey does have some experience of captaining the side, having led the Strikers in seven games last season. The southpaw was also a part of the Australian leadership group that included Aaron Finch as captain, Alex Carey and Pat Cummins as vice-captains. His captaincy credentials have been talked up by a lot of players, including the 3 time World Cup-winning captain Ricky Ponting.
Apart from the fact that earlier this year Alex Carey was stripped of the official duties as vice-captain, his returns in T20Is have also been paltry, with an average of 12.57 from 18 innings which ultimately saw Matthew Wade coming into the side at the former's expense.
With the second of the two warm-up matches against India coinciding with the start of the BBL season, Alex Carey will most likely miss his team's first game against the Hobart Hurricanes on December 13.
"I'm very happy to be staying at the Strikers for the next four years being my home team," Carey said, "and it is an unbelievable feeling playing at Adelaide Oval in front of the fans, family and friends, and I really hope that can continue this season," he added.
Alex Carey has been a regular in the ODI format, despite losing his spot in the T20I squad. With a great range of strokemaking and a gift of timing the ball well, BBL 2020 will present Alex Carey with a brilliant opportunity to stake his claim for a spot in Australia's squad for next year's T20 World Cup in India.
The Strikers have endured a mixed bag of results in the BBL, having made the semifinals on two occasions, while going all the way to win the competition in the 2017-18 season. Last season, they finished third in the points table and made the knockout final, before eventually losing to the Sydney Thunder.