In-form Carey targets ODI 'keeping duties

A stunning display with the bat and gloves by Adelaide Strikers wicketkeeper Alex Carey on Thursday night will give Australia's selectors plenty to think about ahead of the upcoming one-day internationals against England.

Carey was named player of the match for his unbeaten 83 from 59 balls opening the batting and his spectacular one-handed catch to remove hard-hitting batsman Nic Maddinson for nought in the Strikers' six-run win over Sydney Sixers at the SCG.

The 26-year-old was in contention for an Ashes Test berth at the start of the JLT Sheffield Shield but was unable to put the runs on the board before the first Test in Brisbane after setting a Shield record for the most dismissals in a season last summer.

While the red/pink-ball runs had been hard to come by early in the 2017-18 before he posted a maiden first-class century in the final round before the BBL break, his form against the white ball in the limited-overs formats has been much more fruitful.

In the 50-over JLT One-Day Cup, the left-hander was the most prolific wicketkeeper with the blade, scoring 265 runs at 33, including a pivotal 92 in the elimination final against Victoria.

Couple that form with his blistering start to BBL|07, where he's amassed 127 runs in two innings, and Carey could be a bolter as Australia's one-day international gloveman for next month's five-match Gillette ODI Series against England.

"Playing for your country in all formats is something that I really want to do," Carey said after play when asked about his ODI prospects.

"This stuff might help, hopefully put a few good performances on the board and you never know.

"(Test and T20I keeper) Tim (Paine) was really good with the gloves in this format last year.

"We'll wait and see which way they go."

Tasmania's Matthew Wade is the incumbent ODI wicketkeeper but lost his Test place this summer after entering a run-scoring drought.

While Wade is confident of retaining his position behind the pegs in the 50-over format, he was dropped during the five-match ODI tour of India in September and replaced by former Victoria teammate and part-time gloveman Peter Handscomb.

"Every time you play you want to play for Australia, but I'm not sure whether I'll play Test cricket again," Wade told cricket.com.au earlier this month.

"But if I can play ODI cricket again … l feel like I've played really well over the last three years in that format so hopefully I'll get a crack at that.

"I was (named) captain of the Australian team (earlier this year in New Zealand, despite not playing on the tour due to injury) and I scored a hundred about seven or eight innings ago so I can't see why they'd want to make a change."

But Handscomb, who like Wade has been dropped from the Test side, has put his hand up to take the gloves full-time in the ODI side.

The 26-year-old was released from Australia's Boxing Day Test squad to play with Melbourne Stars against Perth Scorchers at the WACA, where he stood behind the stumps with an eye on the upcoming ODI series.

"If the opportunity is there, I want to do it for Australia during the one-day series," Handscomb told cricket.com.au.

"That was another reason for me coming back here, (to) put the gloves on and make sure my skills are up to international standard. It's nice to have that game time."