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Australia wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey on Saturday, February 8 became the first Aussie wicketkeeper-batter to cross the 150-plus runs mark in the Asian conditions during the ongoing second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. With this, the veteran keeper-batter also broke the record previously held by former cricketer and legend Adam Gilchrist.
Early on Saturday, Carey sweeped a delivery from Prabath Jayasuriya, bringing up his 150 and crossing the mark for the first time ever in First-Class cricket. The moment happened in the 87th over of the Australia first innings. However, Alex Carey’s innings was cut short by Prabath in the 93rd over of the innings as the Aussie batter lost his off-stump while attempting for another sweep shot, after having scored 156 off 188 deliveries with his innings being laced with 15 boundaries and two maximums.
Alex Carey breaks Adam Gilchrist’s long-standing record in second Test vs Sri Lanka
Notably, Gilchrist held the record of highest score in Asia after he scored 144 runs each against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in 2006 and 2004 respectively. While these remain to be his solitary centuries in these two nations, he has also scored two tons in India during his playing days. The 33-year-old Carey is now the second Australian wicketkeeper after Gilchrist to score a hundred in Asia.
On the other hand, Carey’s 156 is the highest Test score by an Australia wicketkeeper-batter in Asia and also the first to record 150-plus score. Further speaking of the feats, Carey’s innings is now the fourth highest by an Australian batter in Sri Lanka. He has also joined the elite list of non-Asia wicketkeeper-batters to register scores of 150 or more in Sri Lanka, including Zimbabwe's Andy Flower (232* and 183*), South Africa's AB de Villiers (164), Zimbabwe's Tatenda Taibu (153), West Indies' Clyde Walcott (152), and New Zealand's Warren Lees (152).
