‘Ashes take a lot out of you mentally’ – Alex Carey eyes back-to-back Sheffield Shield titles for South Australia

Australian wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey has admitted to experiencing some mental and physical fatigue after a massive summer, during which he was one of the stars of Australia’s Ashes triumph. Despite this, he is highly motivated to help South Australia aim for back-to-back Sheffield Shield titles against Victoria.

Since the Ashes, Carey has not missed a single game for which he was available, across any format, for the Adelaide Strikers or South Australia. He played the last three Big Bash League (BBL) games, four Shield matches, and the final two One-Day Cup games of the home-and-away season.

The left-handed batter has been instrumental in guiding his team to consecutive Shield finals. Carey is now set to take a lengthy break, with no franchise commitments in April or May, before joining Australia’s white-ball tour of Bangladesh and Pakistan in June.

“I’m going well. 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,” said Carey as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

“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 grown 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,” he added.

The final regular-season game between Victoria and South Australia was interrupted by multiple rain delays, but South Australia managed to gather plenty of confidence ahead of the final. Carey admitted that his side handled Scott Boland well and said he is looking forward to facing him again in the summit clash.

“I think the boys played him pretty well. 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 quiet week next week,” said Carey.

The 34-year-old has been an integral part of Australia’s Test and ODI setup. He earned a brief recall to the T20I squad, but his overall record in the shortest format is modest, and his return came after Australia’s disappointing run in the T20 World Cup 2026. However, Carey has made it clear that he is unwilling to compromise his time off ahead of a demanding Test schedule over the next 18 months by playing more franchise cricket simply to push his case.

“I’m really clear where I sit in that. 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 window to take breaks, and I’ll have a break after this Shield season, rather than going playing some T20 cricket,” said Carey.

“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 of being in that T20 team. I’m really clear where I sit in that,” he added.