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ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP

June 19, 2019

Alex Carey

West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, UK

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Alex Carey.

Q. After the West Indies-Bangladesh match (indiscernible) against Bangladesh?
ALEX CAREY: Good question. Obviously Bangladesh are playing some really good cricket at the moment and it's led by Shakib. So we've obviously put our time into Shakib and all the players at the top of the order as well as their bowling.

So in terms of, have we changed our planning around the West Indies game? Not really. We sort of go through the same process for most teams. We assess each player and basically prepare accordingly for that.

So, like I said, they're playing really good cricket. So we've got to rock up tomorrow and play really well. We've got to start really well and continue our good form as well, which has been working for us.

Q. Is Australia scared of Bangladesh's spin attack?
ALEX CAREY: Of who?

Q. Is Australia scared of Bangladesh's spin attack?
ALEX CAREY: No, we're not scared of the spin attack. We've obviously, again, we've done our preparation. We know Shakib's a big threat and has done a lot of the work for Bangladesh at the moment as well as Mehedi and a couple of the other spinners.

So, again, we've prepared accordingly for the spin attack as well as the same attack as well. Mushfiq is bowling really well at the moment as well. So we've prepared for the conditions and for the attack.

Q. Domestically you're usually a top-order batsman, opening batsman and now you're obviously batting in the middle. What did you have to do to change the game plan to move into the middle?
ALEX CAREY: I guess just assessing the situation. If it's in the first innings, obviously last time we were here we were in a bit of trouble. So there was, I guess, a chance to just bat for a little while and I guess try to change the momentum.

I guess chasing it, you know the score and you know who you're batting with to sort of plan how we attack a run-chase. So I think the scoreboard dictates a lot of my role when I go back down the order, who I'm batting with. It's sort of laid out in front. And then go out and try and execute as best I can.

So I've really enjoyed the role down at the bottom of the order working alongside Steve Smith the last time we were here. Maxie is a really good to bat with along with Stoinis and all the other guys.

Hopefully I'm not in until the last five, ten overs and the top order has done the job, but at the moment I'm really enjoying the No. 7 position.

Q. Australia have so far won four matches in this tournament, but they could have lost three of them very easily. Do you think Australia is playing their best cricket in this tournament? If not, what will it take to bring their best?
ALEX CAREY: I think we're playing really good cricket. I think we've got areas where we can still improve and be more consistent at. I think the top of the order, batting-wise, have done a lot of the work and making a lot of the runs which is great. It's their job.

And hopefully they can continue to do that. I think we're bowling through the middle really well and at the back end, obviously Starc, Cummins, the guys that have come in have done their job.

But there's little areas we can do better at. Obviously Sri Lanka came out and played really well in the first 10 overs the last game. So, obviously we'd like to take wickets up front. There's been times where we probably would like to finish the innings off with a bat.

Although we're getting the results, we're still striving hard to try to find that perfect game and put a full 50 or 100 overs together. But the guys are working really hard. We're aware of the areas to keep improving.

Q. Really (indiscernible) starts here, white ball, international cricket, vice captain of the World Cup already. What are your red ball aspirations (indiscernible). Do you have a plan mapped out for how you'll advance that format over the next few years?
ALEX CAREY: No, I guess at the moment my experience at the international level has been with the white ball and I guess limited opportunity back in Australia in shield cricket. But I wouldn't change anything. If I'm playing white ball cricket for Australia, then I'm really happy to do that.

So, but moving forward I'll continue to improve in all three formats in my game hopefully, and hopefully one day play test cricket. I think every cricketers -- or everyone that I've spoken to every cricketer's dream is to play test cricket. I'm no different.

At the moment it's keep improving in this team, the T20 team as well and hopefully one day down the track there's an opportunity there. But at the moment I'm really loving playing white ball cricket for Australia, working with Brad Haddin, obviously Tim Paine's keeping really well at the moment as well.

I'll keep striving to play test cricket. It's the dream, the goal. But it's with the white ball and try to get better and hopefully we get some more success here is the short-term goal.

Q. I guess it's following on from that, Alex, do you feel like a strong World Cup can put you ahead of (indiscernible) for the back-up role come the Ashes?
ALEX CAREY: I haven't really thought about it to be honest. I'm not sure what the selectors will go with there. He's obviously over playing in the Australia A set-up. But I want to play group cricket here for sure and I guess the rest of it will take care of itself.

At the moment, I don't know, it's pretty clichÃ© but it's as simple as Bangladesh tomorrow for me. Try to I guess be clean behind the stumps and make runs is my job. So I'll keep it quite simple for now.

Q. So far, Bangladesh batsmen are doing well in this tournament. Do you think it is going to be a battle between Bangladeshi batsmen versus Australian pace bowlers?
ALEX CAREY: Bangladesh are playing really well. Yeah, it's exciting to come up against a team that's in good form. And I think we're in really good form as well. So it's going to be a great game tomorrow.

Conditions here normally suit batters. And it's normally high-scoring events here, which is exciting. But hopefully we obviously rock up tomorrow and play really well. And, like I said, Shakib is in really good form. He's one guy we want to get out early. But along with the other guys as well, they've come in and done really well.

And I think for us it's keep focusing on what we're doing really well up front with the new ball, Starc and Cummins, and then through the middle, we'll see which way selection goes but there's lots of options to do that. And the back end has been a strength of ours closing out an innings. It's going to be a great contest, I recon.

Q. Aaron Finch has lost seven straight coin tosses in a row, do you have any advice for him?
ALEX CAREY: No, I don't. It's interesting, though. I think we've lost a lot of tosses, but the last seven games we've played some pretty good cricket. So I guess in a tournament like this, although you want to win the toss, I don't think it matters too much in terms of the outcome. If we get sent in, we know it's going to be a good wicket; or if we're chasing, we know what we've got to chase.

But it would be nice for Finchy to choose what he wants to do for once. Maybe I should do the toss tomorrow. (Laughter).

Q. Any specific planning regarding Shakib Al Hasan, since he's looking unstoppable in the tournament? Any specific planning against Shakib Al Hasan, since he seems unstoppable in this tournament?
ALEX CAREY: Any specific batting against him?

Q. Planning.
ALEX CAREY: Sorry. We've had a look at the vision. Yeah, I think again he's in probably career best form with the white ball. So we sort of know the areas and line and length we want to bowl to him and I guess out there we'll assess the conditions as well.

So, yeah, no extra planning, I don't think. We normally have our plans going into every game and we assess each player accordingly.

So, yeah, in terms of what we're going to bowl, we leave that up to the bowlers and the captain to do that, but we'd love to get him out early. Like you mentioned, he's in great form, along with the other players. And then Liton Das comes in and played an incredible inning. Like I've said, we've gone through all the batting list and hopefully plans go accordingly.

Q. How is Marcus Stoinis, is he 100 percent right to go; and if so, what kind of difference does that make middle overs bowling and that extra sixth bowler?
ALEX CAREY: I think he's a really good chance to play. Again, leave that up to selection. But it is nice having that extra option with the ball through the middle and obviously batting at 6, it's a really crucial role.

So hopefully he pulls up -- he had a bowl yesterday and he was fine today. So I think he's a really good chance to come back into the side. And again, it just gives that flexibility with the overs.

Obviously Maxwell bowled really well against Sri Lanka. And Bangladesh has top order left-handed batters, so it could be a good matchup there.

And it will be great to have Stoinis to come back into the side. And I know he's worked really hard off the ground to be ready to go, and he's smacking the ball in the net. It will be exciting to get him back out there, obviously.

Q. You've talked about the video footage, and JL has as well. Obviously Australia haven't played Bangladesh that much at all outside of Bangladesh for quite a long time. Can you give us a sense of how different it is just trying to go off video footage when you actually have to face bowlers, though, how quickly can you really assess it based on video footage?
ALEX CAREY: I guess that's the beauty of the game, too. It's a lot up to the individual that, I guess, problem solve out in the middle as well.

So we've watched a lot of the games throughout this tournament. We've obviously watched a lot of vision of the Bangladesh side. But in every game, there's little curve balls that come up. And it's up to the players, I guess, to really problem solve out in the middle, in the contests. And everyone goes about it differently.

So if guys want to sit down and watch hours of vision, that's available. I do like to watch bowlers. I haven't played against Bangladesh myself, personally. And so we leave it up to the individual. We trust their preparation. And at the moment I think that's working really well.

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