Test wicketkeeper Alex Carey becomes the 20th Australian to sign up as cricket continues to grow in popularity in the USA
Carey latest signing for USA's Major League
Alex Carey is the latest big-name Australia signing for the USA's Major League Cricket, with the men's Test team keeper-batter to turn out for Los Angeles Knight Riders when the T20 tournament begins next month.
Carey becomes the 20th Australia player to join the second season of the US League which immediately follows the current ICC T20 World Cup being staged in the USA and Caribbean.
Cricket in America received a significant boost overnight when USA scored an historic super-over victory against 2022 Cup finalists Pakistan at Dallas, only the team's second success against a Test nation following their previous T20 win against Ireland in 2021.
Carey will join fellow national representatives Adam Zampa and SA teammate Spencer Johnson at the affiliate franchise of this year's Indian Premier League champions Kolkata Knight Riders.
The LA team will play their seven minor round MLC matches at grounds in Dallas, Texas and Morrisville, North Carolina.
Before signing the deal, the 32-year-old was one of the few members of Australia's current Test outfit not to be playing competitive cricket during the southern winter.
Only opening batter Usman Khawaja is taking a full off-season sabbatical, although the reigning ICC men's Test Cricketer of the Year is also in the US as Prime Video's ambassador for their coverage of the T20 World Cup.
Carey's Test counterparts Mitchell Marsh, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head and Cameron Green are all members of Australia's Cup contingent, while Marnus Labuschagne and Nathan Lyon are playing county cricket in the UK.
Steve Smith is the only other member of the XI that took the field for Australia's most recent Test against New Zealand last March not currently playing, but he will be part of MLC starting on July 5 with Washington Freedom.
Such is the burgeoning appeal of the three-week MLC competition, it was announced earlier this week that Australia Test captain Pat Cummins had signed a four-year deal with Cricket Victoria-aligned San Francisco Unicorns.
Carey, who will join the LA outfit ahead of the pre-season training camp in Florida starting June 28, had previously indicated a preference for returning to the UK's domestic T20 Vitality Blast tournament that kicked off last month.
However, the timing of MLC coupled with its shorter playing window – which ensures minimal family disruption for Carey's wife Eloise and their children Louis and Clementine – made the US option a better fit.
"I've never been to America so it will be great to try the T20 league there," Carey told cricket.com.au today.
"I'm grateful and lucky it fell into place.
"I had interest late last year about heading over to a couple of teams in England.
"But it wasn't quite the right time for me to make a decision on what to do, so I left it a bit longer and those teams filled up."
Despite the abuse and harassment directed at Carey and his family following his stumping of England's Jonny Bairstow in last year's second Ashes Test at Lord's – as documented in Prime Video's 'The Test' – he maintains an affinity for the UK.
Prior to making his Test debut in the 2021-22 Ashes series in Australia, Carey played with Sussex in the UK county competition and is keen to return to Britain for another stint should his playing schedule allow.
"I definitely want to head back to England and play eventually," he said.
"I love it, and I love playing cricket over there.
"We'll see how it all plays out but I definitely see myself playing some county or T20 cricket there in the future."
Australians in the 2024 MLC
LA Knight Riders: Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson, Alex Carey
MI New York: Tim David
San Francisco Unicorns: Pat Cummins, Josh Inglis, Matt Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Brody Couch (domestic signing)
Seattle Orcas: Nathan, Ellis, Lance Morris, Cameron Gannon (domestic signing)
Texas Super Kings: Aaron Hardie, Cameron Stevenson (domestic signing)
Washington Freedom: Glenn Maxwell, Travis Head, Steve Smith, Jack Edwards, Andrew Tye, Ian Holland (domestic signing)